The River Bride – Meet the Cast & Crew
The River Bride by Marisela Treviño Orta
Directed by Johamy Morales | Presented by the Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University Theater Department
Showtimes: RESERVE TICKETS
Friday, Oct 31 – 8pm
Saturday, Nov 1 – 2pm (haze free)
Saturday, Nov 1 – 8pm
Sunday, Nov 2 – 2pm
The River Bride tells the story of two sisters, Helena and Belmira, who struggle to find their happily ever after. In their pursuit of happiness they encounter the question of true love and what they are willing to do in order to fight or let it go due to societal expectations. This world is an invitation to grounding ourselves in nature and in the unnatural. In the world that is rooted in the elements of earth, water, air and fire meets a telenovela where supernatural is possible.
In the Amazon time stands still, as if this river wrapped its long body around it and contracted. The only time here is once, once upon a time somewhere between dream, between myth, between the shores of reality and folklore. Like all the old ones this fairy tale will end in tears, tears spilling off the edge of a pier. It will end with two sisters, one constrained to land and one to the Amazon’s timelace embrace. Two sisters, two sisters and a man fished from June waters just three days before a wedding.
“The River Bride” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Meet the Cast
Xavier Brown - Senhor Costa
(he/him)
Xavier is a fourth year Musical Theatre student from Arizona, thrilled to be part of The River Bride. This will be his third mainstage production with Cornish after taking part in Chess (Arbiter) and Amelie (Nino). With this show he’s excited to finally have a chance to be part of a Latinx ensemble and show the complexities our cultures carry. ¡Aunque estemos en Brasil, su corazón tiene la sangre de El Salvador! Gracias a mi mamá y a mi abuela que siempre me apoyaron y me demostraron un amor infinito.
Mario Espinoza - Duarte
(he/they)
Mario recently played Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, dir. Xavier Fernandez-Miller. Landry in Desdemona’s Child (blood cry), dir. Amaya Zhané and Marco in A View from the Bridge, dir. Sheila Daniels. Mario is honored to celebrate his Mexican-American heritage within this piece with fellow Latiné artists and collaborators. Somos fuertes juntos!
IG: @notsupermarioo www.marioespinozaonline.com
Gisela Catalina - Senhora Costa
(she/they)
Gisela’s recent credits include Paulina, Bear, and Time in The Winter’s Tale and Vivian in Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls. Before transferring to Cornish, Gisela studied at PCPA (Pacific Conservatory Theatre) and toured with Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre in California. Gisela is grateful to reach this full circle moment as her first professional production was Heart Shaped Nebula by Marisela Treviño Orta and her final production at Cornish is written by the same wonderful playwright.
Jacob Guzman - Moises
(he/him)
Jacob Guzman (He/Him) is a Seattle-based actor, writer, and performance artist pursuing a BFA in Acting & Original Works at Cornish College of the Arts. Recent credits include Bernhardt/Hamlet (Maurice/Raoul) at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts; Much Ado About Nothing (Claudio) with Ballinger Shakespeare Company; The Winter’s Tale (Polixenes), Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls (Richard), The Only Choice to Be Had (Leo) with Cornish. This reading is lovingly dedicated to his mom, Crystal.
Isa Lopez - Belmira
(she/her)
Isa is an Acting and Original Works student here at Cornish College of the Arts and is honored to be apart of this production of The River Bride! Her most recent credits at Cornish include the New Works Festival where she took part in both the Lore Project and the One Act: In Your Hands by Emma Ordoñez-Enos. She would like to thank her amazing and talented cast mates and director, Johamy, for inspiring her and the work everyday throughout the process. Enjoy this beautiful piece!
Emma Ordoñez-Enos - Helena
(she/her)
Emma Ordoñez-Enos is grateful for the opportunity as Helena in The River Bride. Previous appearances at Cornish include Kitty in Kitty Play Time and Hayden in Desdemona’s Child. Emma was also the understudy for Vivian and Joy in Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls. She would like to thank her parents for their support and trust; Charles Ordoñez and Stella Ordoñez for passing down food, music, and love; Carmen for all the faith; and Paco, for keeping her here.
Belle Pugh - Belmira (Understudy)
(she/her)
Belle Amour Pugh is a passionate performer with a love for both classic musicals and bold new works. Her favorite past roles include playing Young Martius in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, the Jitterbug in The Wizard of Oz, Florinda in Into the Woods, Ronny in Hair (2022), and Mimi in RENT (2023). At 23 she is deeply grateful for every opportunity to grow in her hometown and dream college, connect, and tell stories on stage.
Meet the Crew
Johamy Morales - Director
(she/her)
Johamy Morales is an award-winning director and a 25-year veteran of theatre for young audiences. Johamy currently serves as the Artistic Director for Seattle Children’s Theatre. She has worked with various schools, nonprofit organizations and the US State Department, nationally and internationally. Johamy holds an MFA in acting from The Ohio State University, with a specialization in devising new works, and a BA in Theatre from San Diego State University.
Samuel Vizcarrondo Ingram - Assistant Director
(he/him)
Sam is so grateful to have participated in bringing this beautiful text to life. His most recent project was included in the New Works 5×5 Festival where he directed ‘Boy and the Grenade’, a piece written by Joeyy Wittaker. Samuel was also seen acting in ‘4.48 Psychosis’ directed by Cornish Alumni E.M. A special thanks to Johamy Morales and all Latinx players/playwrights whose work continues to give us the courage to connect to our indigenous roots. ¡VIVA VIVA PALESTINA! END THE GENOCIDE!
Amiya Brown - Scenic Designer
(she/her)
Amiya is a scenographer based in Seattle, WA, Amiya designs Scenic and Lighting for Theatre, Dance, Music, and Film productions. Her work has been presented at The Baryshnikov Arts Center, New York Live Arts, The Joyce, On the Boards, ACT, Seattle Children’s Theatre, REDCAT, Yerba Buena Cultural Arts Center, The Guthrie Theatre, The Kohler Arts Center, The Della Nuova Danza Roma, Theatre Le Quai, and many more. She is currently an Assistant Teaching Professor of Scenography at Seattle University.
Gisela Catalina - Dramaturg
(she/they)
Gisela’s recent credits include Paulina, Bear, and Time in The Winter’s Tale and Vivian in Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls. Before transferring to Cornish, Gisela studied at PCPA (Pacific Conservatory Theatre) and toured with Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre in California. Gisela is grateful to reach this full circle moment as her first professional production was Heart Shaped Nebula by Marisela Treviño Orta and her final production at Cornish is written by the same wonderful playwright.
Carmen Gallegos - Lighting Designer
(she/her)
No bio provided
Alex Marzolf - Stage Manager
(he/him)
Alex is a third-year performance production stage management student. Previous credits include Alice By Heart, Damn Yankees!, Somethings Afoot (Rising Star Project). He would like to thank his partner, family and friends for their unconditional support!
Luna Mock - Props Manager
No bio provided
Lillian Nellis - Assistant Props Manager
(she/her)
My name is Lillian Nellis, I’m a creative storyteller, and I focus on props and costumes. I have an education in theatrical design from Cornish College of the Arts, where I’ll be graduation from after fall of 2025. My goal is to work with specialty costumes and props (Like sci-fi and fantasy) for film and television.
I use a variety of techniques for my creations, from more traditional, sewing, leatherwork, and metalworking, to more modern 3D printing and 3D modeling. “
Maria Nelson - Assistant Costume Designer
No bio provided
Flint Sellers - Costume Designer
(they/he)
Flint has been experimenting with costumes for over five years, however has experience in the haunting and cosplay space for much longer. Flint provides a fantastic spin to costume in order to stand out and push the boundaries of what theatre can be. They currently study theatre costume design and work to become an sfx makeup artist, experimenting with different looks and methods constantly. Flint’s work is all about redefining what costumes really are.
DJ Swan - Assistant Stage Manager
(they/them)
DJ is a second year Stage Management Major who is extremely excited for audiences to experience “The River Bride”. This is their second show here at Cornish after acting as ASM for “The Winter’s Tale” (dir. Leah Adcock-Starr) last Spring. They attribute their growth and success to the immense amount of support they’ve received from their mom and brother, best friend Aurora, and the Tucketts.
Kyle Thompson - Sound Designer
(he/him)
Kyle is excited to be designing for Cornish again. He has designed sound for over 70 productions in the greater Seattle area, including: Solaris, Returning the Bones (Gregory Award Nominated for Sound Design), American Junkie (Book-It); Our Country’s Good (Strawberry Theatre Workshop); The Merry Wives of Windsor, Love’s Labor’s Lost (Wooden O/Seattle Shakespeare); Nonsense and Beauty (Theatre22); 4,000 Miles (ArtsWest). Kyle works as a Sound Engineer at SCT, and is a member of IATSE Local 15.
Faith vom Cleff Zaarour - Assistant Stage Manager
Faith is a 3rd year transfer student from California with a focus in Stage Management. This is her first time doing a show at Cornish! She is very excited to learn and work with her peers. She has done many different shows, the recent shows were Twelfth Night as the stage manager and Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder as the charge artist. She wanted to say thank you to all the people who stood by her side during her theater journey, especially her mother Elissa and grandma Ann. Thank you!
