G.D. Kimble

G.D. Kimble (Director) is an actor, director, playwright, dramaturg, and proud LSU alum. Red Velvet marks his third time returning as a guest, having previously directed Trouble in Mind at LSU in 2019, and Sweat for Swine Palace in 2022.  His favorite credits include the broadway premiere of Man & Boy at the Todd Haimes Theatre, working alongside Sir Tom Stoppard for the NYC premiere of Indian Ink at the Laura Pels Theater, the US premiere of The Gift at the Geffen Theatre, and the world premiere of his own play, What Passes for Comedy, at the Chain Theatre.

G.D. is the resident dramaturg at the Chain Theatre, a founding artistic associate of the On & Off Theatre Workshop, and a professor at Hofstra University where he teaches acting, dramaturgy, and African American drama. He lives in NYC.

Amara Copeland

Amara Copeland (Costume Designer) is a graduate student studying costume design and technology here at LSU. Completing her undergraduate degree at Temple University, and beginning her craft at Fiorello. H. LaGuardia High School. She has designed Swine Palace shows such as Craters, and Roe and has worked on LSU Lab shows such as The R&J Project and Rosita y Conchita. Once graduating in 2025 she hopes to continue her profession as a resident designer or draper.

John Micheal Eddy

John Michael Eddy (Props Designer) is a Professional-in-Residence at the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Theatre, specializing in properties (props) design. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Arizona and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Production and Design from Temple University in Philadelphia. Eddy's work spans scenic and prop design, with notable projects including Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Julius Caesar with Swine Palace and most recently Rachel, Airness and Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson – Apt-2B at LSU.

Beyond his academic role, Eddy serves as the resident scenic designer and Board Member for Playmakers of Baton Rouge, a children's educational theatre group based at the LSU Reilly Theater.

Nick Erickson

Nick Erickson (Fight Choreographer) received his M.F.A. in Acting at Cal-Arts. He has performed at such places as Swine Palace, Intiman Theatre, Empty Space Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has acted in several movies including College, A Perfect Day, The Staircase Murders and Mahjong. He also was a guest star on the Fox television series K-Ville. He was a founding member of Diavolo Dance Theatre and for seven years co-choreographed and performed in almost all of the company’s pieces on three national tours and abroad. Since 2008, he has produced and directed an LSU student production to tour to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every other year as an Academic Program Abroad. He is the resident Fight Choreographer for all Swine Palace and LSU Theatre productions. 

Tyler Kieffer

Tyler Kieffer (Sound & Projections Designer) is the Assistant Professor of Sound Design and Technology for LSU Theatre. Tyler is a sound designer for new plays, opera, and immersive theatre. He’s been twice nominated for the New York Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Sound Design in 2019 for Will Arbery’s Plano and in 2021 for Tectonic Theater Project’s Seven Deadly Sins. Other recent credits include Swine Palace’s Operating Systems, Craters, ROE; Tribes, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Le Petit theatre in New Orleans, and Found at the Cork Midsummer Festival Ireland. Tylerkieffer.com

Special Thanks – Nicholas Hussong, Amy Gegenheimer, Abby Lestrade

Smaida Massatt

Smaida Massatt (Lighting Designer) worked as a lighting designer and electrician in the Chicago and Minneapolis areas. She earned her MFA in Lighting Design at the University of Minnesota. Some of the theatres she has worked for include Minnesota Children’s Theatre Co., Penumbra Theatre, Minnesota Opera, Theatre Latté Da, Interact Theater Company. She has also worked in several capacities in numerous theaters and dance companies including Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Chicago Opera Theater, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, and Chicago Puppet Festival.

Sandra Moon

Sandra Moon (German Language Coach) is currently Associate Professor of Voice at Louisiana State University. In addition to teaching and directing, Ms. Moon has tackled the massive role of Maria Callas in Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Sandra Moon is a native of Dayton, Ohio and received her musical training from the Cincinnati-Conservatory of Music and has been in the young artist programs of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Santa Fe Opera.

Sofia Pereira Silva (Assistant Stage Manager) is a sophomore Theater (Performance) major at Louisiana State University. She performed in the Dance and Physical Theatre Showcase 2024. She also assisted in props and design for the play People Places and Things, Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B. She is a member of the Physical Theater Club. 

Rocky Sansom

Rocky Sansom (Dialect Coach) is an Associate Professor of Voice & Speech at Louisiana State University, Associate Head of the MFA Acting program, and the voice coach of LSU’s resident theatre, Swine Palace. He is Affiliate Faculty with LSU’s linguistics program. As a voice and accent coach, he has worked Off-Broadway with York Theatre Company and Theater for the New City, and he has worked Off-West End with Arcola Theatre. Regional credits include the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Premiere Stages, and the Savannah Repertory Theatre.

Sarah Statham

Sarah Statham (Stage Manager)  is a LSU Alumnus with a BA in Theatre (Design & Technology). Previous production credits include LSU Mainstage’s, Marburg, Rachel, Swine Palace’s People Places & Things, ROE, Sweat, LSU lab series’ The Goat, LSU’s Dream Logos performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, MTC’s Little Shop of Horrors, and The Shawshank Redemption with 225 Theatre Collective. Sarah also has experience working as a props designer on productions such as LSU lab series’ Dead City, Belleville, and Wolf Play.

Apollo Mark Weaver

Apollo Mark Weaver (Scenic Designer) teaches scenic design at LSU and has worked in the professional theatre world for more than two decades. His designs have appeared nationally on stages including Geva Theatre Center, Arizona Theatre Company, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. He has also designed sets for many local companies in Philadelphia, Chicago, and upstate New York, including InterAct, Azuka Theatre, the Mercury Theatre, and Inis Nua Theatre Company. He has served as charge scenic artist for many companies and projects around the country and been a muralist for the Strong National Museum of Playx. He holds an MFA from Temple University and has also taught at Juniata College, Utah Valley University, and Arizona State University.

Joe Carleton (Charles Kean) is overjoyed to be returning to Swine Palace and the Shaver Theatre. He graduated from Louisiana State University's School of Theatre in 2019. Since then, Joe has had a blast performing all over the country and on the screen. Select theatre credits include: Peter Pan (Peter Pan), Frosty (Billy), The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Huck Finn), The Producers (Storm Trooper), SNUC (Andy), Shrek: the Musical (Master Puppeteer), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lysander), and Green Day’s American Idiot (Gerard). He would like to thank his family and friends for turning his dreams into a reality. Without them, he would not be where he is today. “Let’s make memories.” @_JLCARL

Daniel Daigle

Daniel Daigle (Paul/Dad) is back at Swine Palace for their last hurrah before graduating from the MFA Acting program at LSU this summer. Previous Swine Palace credits include People, Places and Things; Book of Will; and ROE. Earlier this season Daniel was fight choreographer for the LSU Lab Season's production of The R&J Project, written and directed by Craig Ester (Ira Anderson), and the LSU Musical Theatre Club's production of The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals. Join Daniel and the rest of the cohort for the upcoming MFA Thesis Performances 4/11-12 and at the Dance and Physical Theatre Showcase 5/1-2. 

Marina DeYoe-Pedraza

Marina DeYoe-Pedraza (Halina Wozniak/Betty Lovell/Margaret Aldridge)  is an MFA Acting candidate. Before moving to Louisiana for graduate school, she lived in Austin, TX. She has a BFA in Theatre Performance from Hofstra University. Previous Swine Palace credits include People, Places and Things (Emma), The Book of Will (Elizabeth Condell) and ROE (Sarah Weddington). She, also, directed for LSU's 24-25 Lab Season, Rosita y Conchita. Other professional credits include Yamel Cucuy with Glass Half Full Theatre, American Blood Song with Trouble Puppet Theater Co., and Salvage Vanguard Theater’s Casta by Adrienne Dawes. She also produced and performed her solo show Vulva Pope: Our Lady of the Sacred Part directed by Mikala Gibson for the East Austin Studio Tour, in 2022. From 2014-2023, she was a soloist and company dancer for modern dance company, Ballet East. You can see Marina in the MFA Thesis Performances April 11-12.

Brett Duggan

Brett Duggan (Terrence/Bernard Warde) Brett is so happy to join the fabulous cast of Red Velvet. This is his third production with Swine Palace. Brett is originally from Boston where he received his BFA in Acting from Emerson College.  He later got his MFA In theater from the University of Davis, California.  Brett has been seen on ABC and Netflix.  Brett recently recently co-write and directed television pilot starring his wife Sonya Cooke and produced by Mover Media LLC.
He would like to remind everyone that the Baton Rouge Improv Comedy Fest is April 25 &26 at LSU’s MDA studio theater! Batonrougeimprovfest.com for more information! BrettDuggan.com Info about Brett’s stand-up comedy shows.

Craig Ester

Craig Ester (Ira Aldrigde) is excited to return to Swine Palace and The Shaver Theatre in Red Velvet. He would like to thank his family, faculty, and cohort for all they do to keep him afloat. Previous credits include: People, Places and Things (Konstantin/Foster) The Book of Will (Marcus/Ensemble) ROE (McClusky, Flowers, Ensemble) with Swine Palace, Macbeth (Macbeth) with Glass of Water Productions, Death of a Salesman (Howard/Stanley) with Flint Repertory Theatre, Merry Wives of Windsor (Slender), and Henry V (Ensemble), and Romeo and Juliet (Lord Capulet) with Michigan Shakespeare Festival. 

Maura McErlean

Maura McErlean (Ellen Tree) is a second-year MFA Acting candidate raised in Hershey, PA, and most recently based in Philadelphia. LSU: The Book of Will, ROE, and People, Places & Things (Swine Palace), dialect coach for Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B (LSU Mainstage), Sink or Swim (LSU Geaux Film), and Macbeth, devised by the 2025 MFA Acting cohort. Selected Regional: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Woman of No Importance (Walnut Street Theatre), The Wolves (Open Stage of Harrisburg), Twelfth Night (Atlantic City Theatre Co.), As She Likes It (Gamut Theatre Group). Upcoming: vocal coach for Roleplay (LSU Mainstage). BA Temple University. Thank you to G.D, Sarah, and Sofia. Love to Mom, Dad, Cara, Bradley, and my 2025 MFA actors.

Ricardo Mendoza

Ricardo Mendoza (Casamir/Henry Forester)  is a native Puerto Rican pursuing a degree in theatre here at Louisiana State University. This marks Ricardo's fifth time on the LSU stage. Previous credits include the Lab season show All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, LSU Mainstage Marburg, LSU Mainstage Ms. Holmes. and Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B and Improv LSU's God Gun! Other credits include Theatre Baton Rouge's The Laramie Project.

Emmanuela Wade

Emmanuela Wade (Connie) is a 2nd year MFA Theatre major. Previous credits include Swine Palace ROE, People Places and Things and Nate Parker Foundation Short films CANOE and BAGGAGE.