CORE
(aka: the people running WTF day-to-day!)
Bethany Dickens Assaf: Producing Director
Also: Dramaturg, Playwright, Producer
Bethany Dickens Assaf is a freelance playwright, dramaturg, and theatre artist, and the co-founder of Whiskey Theatre Factory. Almost 100 of her plays have been performed or read across the country including her twisty sci-fi play, The Consciousness, which was performed at 10 fringe festivals across the country and won Best Play at the Tampa Bay Theatre Festival. Her most recent play, The Vast of Darkness, won Critic’s Choice for Best Play (Drama) at the 2023 Orlando Fringe Festival. When she’s not producing or writing theatre she fills her time cooking, playing board games, and being a mom to Apollo (a border collie) and Mateo (a human).
You can learn more through Bethany’s website: www.BethanyDickens.com.
Click here to contact Bethany, especially if you need administrative information from WTF.
Charis Watler: Artistic Director
Also: Actor, Director, Producer
Charis Watler is an Orlando based director, actor, and producer. She has directed for many theatre companies in Orlando, including the Lowndes Shakespeare Center, Orlando Fringe, and WTF. She also fills many roles with Central Florida Community Arts Youth, including teaching artist, stage manager, and director. She is passionate about producing new plays, uplifting minority voices and seeks to produce art that holds meaning for her (whatever that may be!). Charis feels so blessed to be creating live theatre in such a supportive environment and cannot wait to see what her future with WTF holds.
Click here to contact Charis, especially if you want to submit a script or pitch a show idea.
COLLECTIVE
(Along with the Core: the people who make shows and projects happen!)
Liz Bernstein
Actor, Coordinator, Playwright
Liz Bernstein (she/her/hers) is a training facilitator and career coach located in Central Florida. Her first loves, however, are acting, singing, performing, and creative writing. In pursuit of these loves, Liz studied theatre arts, creative writing, and psychology at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL. She has always loved thinking deeply about what makes us human and finding ways to help people reach their ultimate goals. While attending the University of Central Florida for a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling, Liz continued performing with the collegiate a cappella group, Gemini Blvd. Since then, she has had the pleasure to perform with Orlando Cringe, Phoenix Tears Productions, Whiskey Theatre Factory, the Fragmented Festival, and Central Florida Community Arts, for staged readings and play workshops. Liz is passionate about telling meaningful stories and connecting with other people through art. She is overjoyed to be a part of WTF to help coordinate future productions and help all voices be heard.
Sara Jacobson
Actor, Designer, Stage Manager, Tech
Sara is a freshman at Valencia College. She is a Florida native who loves everything theater related. She is mainly a Stage Manager but you can also find her in many other roles. She has been a Lighting Designer, Sound Technician, Director, Technical Director, Props Master and occasionally an Actor. She has worked within the central Florida theater community for 3 years with companies such as, Central Florida Community Arts, Playwrights Round Table, Florida International Thespian society, and WTF. She is working toward a BFA (Bachelors in Fine Arts) in Stage Management. She is ecstatic to be a part of the Whiskey Theatre Factory core collective and can’t wait to see WTF grow!
Jose “Joe” Llorens
Actor, Director, Producer
Jose “Joe” Llorens is honored to be an Artistic Associate of Whiskey Theatre Factory. He's an actor, improviser, producer, and creator of Let's Get Real comedy. He earned a BFA in Theatre from Florida International University where he discovered and developed his passion for creating authentic, engaging, impactful moments on stage. He hopes to help WTF achieve its goals of uplifting new voices, bringing life to new works, and creating new opportunities for people to communicate through their souls. He is a married father of three amazing children and he draws inspiration from them on a daily basis. Try Hard. Be Kind.
Kate O’Claire
Actor, Director, Producer
Kate O’Claire (she/her/hers) is a performer, producer, public speaker, and social justice mage who has been seen on stages throughout Central Florida, Paris, and her home state of Wisconsin. She is passionate about telling unique stories, amplifying historically excluded voices, fighting the patriarchy, riding Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, eating Taco Bell, and reducing shame around difficult topics.
Click here to contact Kate, especially about WTF’s semi-monthly Play Reading Salons.
Kimberly Murray Patel
Actor, Costumer, Playwright
Kimberly Murray Patel is thrilled for the opportunity to take part in the Whiskey Theatre Factory Collective. The majority of her time in the theater is spent as a freelance costumer and stitcher for companies in and around Orlando including Osceola Arts, Theater West End, CFCArts, and more. Last year she had the good fortune to costume Whiskey Theatre Factory’s Meeting of the Muses. In addition to costuming Kim has a passion for performing and playwriting. Her short plays have been produced locally by The Playwright’s Round Table, Valencia College, and Breakthrough Theater Company.
Max Pinsky
Actor, Playwright, Producer
Max is thrilled to be a part of the Whiskey Theatre Factory Collective. In his artistic life, he has worn the hats of performer, playwright, and producer with a specialty of working with classical drama. Max's work investigates methods in which to connect the theatre of yesterday to our audience of today with particular attention paid to multilingualism and multiculturism. He holds an MA in English: Rhetoric & Composition from the University of Central Florida and has been directing in and around Central Florida since 2017 under Project no. 19 Performance Company. Favorite past projects include Hecuba (2019, Marshall Ellis Performing Arts Center), AJAX (2022, Orlando International Fringe Festival), and I Love Liz (2023, Tampa International Fringe Festival). Moreover, his play La Medéa was produced by the Renaissance Theatre Company in January 2022. With WTF, Max is eager to shine a light onto the amazing and challenging work that goes on in the rehearsal rooms and development sessions that set productions up for success. Exploration is key to innovation!
Jason Porrata
Actor, Director, Playwright, Stage Manager
Jason Porrata is the current Upper School Theatre Teacher at The First Academy. He also serves as a Director, Stage Manager, and Teaching Artist for Central Florida Community Arts and Whiskey Theatre Factory. Recent credits include: The Meeting of the Muses: A Night of Short Plays by Nancy Rose Ostinato, How We Got On, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Disney's Frozen Jr. Jason also made his WTF acting debut this past fall in The Meeting of the Muses. In addition to his onstage and backstage interests, Jason is also a playwright. Jason is a proud alum of the School of Theatre at Florida State University. He'd like to thank his wife Leah for her genuine love and support, Whiskey Theatre Factory for this opportunity, and his son Mars for being a constant reminder of God's love for fun and silliness.
Meghan pratt
Stage Manager, Literary Manager
Meghan Pratt (she/her/hers) is a stage manager and literary manager in Central Florida. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Theatre and Media, Meghan spent some time in Pennsylvania working as an assistant stage manager for People’s Light, working on such shows as “Romeo and Juliet: A Requiem” and “Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie”. Since moving to Florida, Meghan has stage-managed two productions of “The Consciousness”, winning best play at the 2019 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival, and was literary manager for Playwrights’ Round Tables’ three productions of “Connected Voices”.
Katie Thayer
Actor, Director, Playwright
Katie Thayer is an actor, improviser, and playwright living in Central Florida. She received her BFA in Theatre from UCF with a minor in Creative Writing. As a Playwright, many of her works have been performed by Playwrights Round Table and at the Orlando Fringe. Her 10 Minute play, Graceland, can be found in The Best Ten- Minute Plays 2014.
artistic Associates
(Artists we love and work with whenever possible!)
Jodi Antenor
Actor, Playwright
Jodi Antenor (she/her/hers) is an actress and playwright with more than 16 years of experience in the entertainment industry. At the age of 18, she moved to Florida and was immediately welcomed with three back to back hurricanes. Ever the optimist, she stayed in Florida where she went on to perform in a multitude of different shows and parades at several different theme parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and the Nickelodeon Hotel. As a part of the development team for the Whiskey Theater Factory, Jodi hopes to create a community where playwrights and actors feel welcomed, confident, and free to explore their creativity. In her free time, Jodi loves to play softball and travel to new destinations.
Ghina Fawaz
Director, Performer, Playwright
"Ghina Fawaz (she/her/hers) is a senior at Rollins College double majoring in psychology and theatre with a double emphasis in directing and performance. She is curious about the intersectionality of theatre and healing and has developed a number of projects that address topics such as racial trauma and suicide prevention through resesarched, imaginative, and interactive methods. Additionally, she is passionate about inclusivity in theatre and empowering underrepresented voices as she is a student leader for the Rollins Theatre Students and Alumni of Color Action Group and the student coordinator for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. Ghina is over the moon to be a part of the WTF team!
Gabriella Headley
Actor, Director
Gabby (she/her) is an actor, director, and creative from Orlando, Florida! She received a BFA in Musical Theatre from Florida Southern College, and is a current MFA Acting Candidate University of Central Florida.
She is a strong advocate for creating a structured and positive rehearsal environment, and is passionate about uplifting and empowering young voices in creative spaces. Frequently drawn to the new play development process, she believes there is nothing like the magic of creating new art.
She has performed on various stages across Florida, and has served as a Director, Assistant Director, Choreographer, Dramaturg, and Teaching Artist across the United States.
When she’s not working on a show, she loves going on adventures with her husband and puppy, and loves discovering new coffee shops! gabriellaheadley.com
Nancy Rose Ostinato
Playwright
Nancy Rose Ostinato is honored and thrilled to become an Artistic Associate with Whiskey Theatre Factory. Nancy first got involved with WTF by participating in their One-Minute Virtual Play Competition and was later commissioned to write a monologue, Join the Club, for WTF’s “Broad Strokes: An evening of monologues and plays exploring what it means to be a woman in America". She has been a Central Florida playwright for four years, a delightful surprise and unexpected passion discovered when she took a short playwriting class on a whim. She was even more surprised when the first two short plays she wrote were both selected in an international competition, one as a semi-finalist and the other as a finalist published in the anthology STAGE IT! 2: Thirty 10-Minute Plays. Other notable productions include plays produced by the Snowdance Comedy Festival, Gi60 Houston, Playwrights’ Round Table, the Breakthrough Theatre Company, Valencia College, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Seaside Players, Femuscripts, Fantasy Theatre Factory (Miami), and The Fragmented Festival (a virtual theatre festival). Nancy is published in several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Be You: 101 Stories of Affirmation, Determination and Female Empowerment (2021), which tells the story of her play Leave a Message in a new piece entitled “Still Leaving a Message”. Nancy holds a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, had a career in mental health, and will always be, first and foremost, the mother of Michael and Morgan.
Manuel Solis-Bauza
Actor
A born and raised Puerto Rican native, Manuel Solis-Bauza is a graduate of the Rollins College class of 2020, having acquired a BA in Theatre Studies and Communication Theory. Seen on the Rollins stage as Shu Fu in Good Person of Setzuan and Solomon in Speech and Debate, Manuel has recently performed in a variety of acclaimed Central Florida shows such as Nick in The Wingman, produced by New Generation Theatrical, Nelson in Our Lady of the Tortilla, produced by Descolonizarte Teatro, and most recently as Kennedy in The Vast of Darkness, produced by Whiskey Theatre Factory and voted as Critics' Choice for Best Drama at Orlando Fringe 2023.
When he's not on stage, Manuel can be found working as a public relations specialist with Curley & Pynn, the strategic public relations firm. Manuel is proud of his heritage, culture, and most importantly his family who's been incredibly supportive of his career and passions. ¡Pa'lante!
Logan Turner
Actor, Playwright
Logan Turner (she/her/hers) is an actor and playwright in Central Florida. Although dance was her first love, Logan found a home in theater in college. She received her BFA in Theatre Arts from Nebraska Wesleyan University and spent 13 years in Chicago before making her way to the Orlando area. Logan has trained at the Art's Sake Studio in Meisner technique and appeared in local theater and film projects. As a former dancer, singer, synchronized swimmer, and orchestral musician, she is passionate about all forms of performance art that are collaborative, evocative, and above all, entertaining.
Arius West
Actor, Director
ARIUS WEST graduated from the University of Central Florida with his bachelor’s in Theatre, Education, & Stage Combat. He is a performer, teaching artist, and director around the greater Central Florida area. He has worked on productions and projects at The Orlando REP, The Renaissance Theatre Company, CFCArts, ArtReach Orlando, Michelee Puppets, and even SeaWorld & Disney with students K-12 and adults up to 65+. In addition, Arius is a Co-Founder of MAC Boys Entertainment whose main prerogative is to increase black talent on stage and black people in the audience, and to entertain the community with stories FOR us BY us because we are more than our pain and trauma. In the near future, the company will help tell all BIPOC stories.
Some of his most notable works are An Octoroon as BJJ/George/M’Closky, Lenox Ave as a Principal Performer, Aida as Choreographer, Theatre Explorers as a Lead Teaching Artist, and The Colored Museum as a Director.