E. M. LEWIS (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright, teacher, and opera librettist. Plays by Lewis include: How the Light Gets In (Steinberg Award winning play that premiered at Boston Court Pasadena in 2019), Apple Season (which received a rolling world premiere from the National New Play Network in 2019), The Gun Show (which has had more than forty productions across the country and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland), Song of Extinction, Heads, Infinite Black Suitcase, Reading to Vegetables, True Story, Dorothy’s Dictionary, and You Can See All the Stars. Lewis is the Mellon Foundation Playwright in Residence at Artists Repertory Theater. She is a proud member of LineStorm Playwrights, Opera America, ASCAP, and the Dramatists Guild.

ELIZABETH HELMAN (Director) earned her BA in Theatre Arts and English (Creative Writing) at Santa Clara University and her MA and Ph.D. in Theatre Arts at University of Oregon in 2006. She is the Theatre Arts Area Coordinator and University Theatre Artistic Director at Oregon State University and teaches courses in history, literature, performance, directing, and playwriting. Elizabeth has directed A Christmas Carol, The Great Gatsby, Silent Sky, Revolutionists!, Successful Strategies, and the Christmas at Pemberley trilogy at OCT. With over 20 years as a working theatre artist and educator, she has directed over 70 plays. Some of her favorite projects include devising The Blazing World Inside, commissioned by the Margaret Cavendish Society; playing Rachel Corie in My Name is Rachel Corie; and directing Suzan-Lori Park’s Topdog/Underdog for the St. Louis Actors’ Studio. Other directing highlights include Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, Comedy of Errors, A Bright Room Called Day, Twelfth Night, Three Sisters, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Diary of Anne Frank, Chess, Sunday in the Park with George, A Thread in the Dark, The Tempest, Julius Caesar, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and recently Vinegar Tom. She is the Associate Artistic Director for Theatre 33 where she has directed a number of new works by PNW writers. Thank you to our cast, crew, and the incredible creative team at OCT. Break legs to all! As always, love and gratitude to Matt.

KATIE WORLEY BECK (Dorothy) is thrilled to be back at Oregon Contemporary Theatre. Originally from California, she now lives in Corvallis Oregon. After graduating from the Pacific Conservatory Theatre in 2006, she spent the next few years working for the Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville in California as an actor, MC, director, writer, choreographer and most recently the Interim Artistic Director. TGAM was also the theater where she met her husband, Andrew. Past OCT productions includes Sandra in The Play That Goes Wrong, Jordan in The Great Gatsby, Deb in Ordinary Days and Lizzy Darcy in Christmas at Pemberley. Some regional credits include: Judy in 9-5 The Musical, Mrs. White in Clue and The Women in 39 Steps (Oregon Cabaret Theatre); Sister Amnesia in Nunsense and Elvira Condomine in Blithe Spirit (SLO Rep); Emily in Our Town and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing (PCPA). Katie would like to thank her wonderful friends, family and husband for the years of love and support that fuels the best parts of her life. 

TEDDY SKYLER (Zan) is enthusiastic to perform in his first production with Oregon Contemporary Theatre. A sophomore at University of Oregon, Teddy was last seen in Antigone, Let the Right One In, and The Phantom Tollbooth. He is enormously grateful for the welcoming team of Dorothy’s Dictionary.

RYAN RUSBY (Sound Designer) is a Eugene-based artist and designer who enjoys doing nerdy stuff for collaborative work. Some of his favorite sound and media design work includes Oregon Contemporary Theater's Fahrenheight 451, Boom, Tribes, The Understudy, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Ride the Cyclone, The Last Yiddish Speaker, and Snow Fever. You can currently see his motion graphics work in selected music videos and live projection for New York-based band Zed Star Seven. Thank you for supporting local arts.

EMILY K BOLIVAR (Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer in Eugene, OR. Currently, you can find her instructing and working events at Lane Community College in addition to her freelance lighting work. Emily is a proud member of IATSE Local 675. Recent design credits include: Ride the Cyclone (Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 2024), Sunday in the Park with George, (Oregon State University, 2024), and Acis and Galatea (Eugene Opera, 2023).

LAURA TUFFLI (Costume Designer) is excited to be working on this lovely show. They have spent their time in theatre focusing on costumes and stage management. Costuming credits; Birds Flying Through, James and The Giant Peach, Wunderkammer (LCC); Man and Moon, What The Constitution Means To Me, Every Brilliant Thing (OCT); Wigs for Hedwig And The Angry Inch and The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley (OCT); and stage manager for The Thin Place, Every Brilliant Thing, NW10 (OCT). Laura also appeared onstage last season as Jane Doe in Ride The Cyclone. Thank you all for being here!

ANNIE CRAVEN (Props Designer) is an actor, designer, and director. Her acting credits include: Ride the Cyclone, Witch (Oregon Contemporary Theatre) The Wolves, Once, A Christmas Carol (University Theatre); Hairspray, Freaky Friday The Musical and Once Upon a Mattress (TMTO); She has also directed After the Revolution and A Girl in School Uniform (Walks Into a Bar) at the Pocket Playhouse. In June of 2023, Annie graduated from the University of Oregon’s Theatre Arts program. She holds a BA, and an additional certificate from the Robert D. Clark Honors College where she wrote and defended an undergraduate thesis. She hopes to return to school to pursue an MFA in directing. When she is not working in the theatre, you can find Annie cafe hopping, listening to music, or cuddling with her cat, Meelo.

RILEY ALLEN (Production Stage Manager) graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelors in Theatre Design and Production, with the tag "jack of all trades" (independent fact checkers have rated this statement "mostly true"). Riley thought his hair wasn't grey enough going into the new year, so he figured doing two roles for this show would change that in short order. Sleepless nights aside, Riley is excited to be designing on OCT's stage again, and is pumped to bring Zan's memory landscape to life. Make sure to SMASH that subscribe button for a chance to win a free iPod Nano!