INK & IMAGINATION CREATIVE TEAM

Concept & Curation

Lisa Wagner Erickson

Written by

Lisa Wagner Erickson, Wayne L. Firestone, Felice Locker

Directed by

Paul Jaquith

Featuring

Ben Butler, Johanna Jaquith, Elizabeth Kirchmeier

John-Christian Maheu, Cortney Patston, Casey Walsh

Ben Butler

Lisa Wagner Erickson

Elizabeth Kirchmeier

Casey Walsh

Wayne L. Firestone

Paul Jaquith

Cortney Patston

Felice Locker

Johanna Jaquith

John-Christian Maheu

BIOS

BEN BUTLER (Actor)

Ben Butler is an English Teacher,  Performing Arts Director, and Head Football Coach at Manual High School in Denver. When not working Been is pleased to be a member of the local theatre community and has most recently appeared in The Hombres, The Inheritance, and Shakespeare in Love, all at Vintage Theatre,  as well as several assorted staged readings. Been is always looking to grow and improve as an educator and actor including a recent course of study at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.

LISA WAGNER ERICKSON (Playwright)

Lisa Wagner Erickson is a playwright, theatre artist, and occasional performer & singer whose varied experience includes singing at Red Rocks, performing sketch comedy at Boulder Theater, and plays that have been developed and produced across the United States. A True West Award winner, she has also been a finalist for the Gary Garrison Award for 10-Minute Plays, a regional finalist for the KCACTF 10-Minute Play Award, a PlayPenn semi-finalist, and a Landing Theatre’s New American Voices semi-finalist. Her plays have been developed and presented by Primary Stages, Stickball Productions, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, No Strings Theatre Company, And Toto too, Edge Theatre, Theater 29, and BETC, among others. Her work has been published in Literature Today and Mini Plays Review. She is the founder of Cypherbird Projects and the former owner and Creative Director of Theater 29.

WAYNE L. FIRESTONE (Playwright)

Wayne L. Firestone is an alumnus of four (2019-2022) John F. Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensives. He successfully completed the London, UK based 28 Plays Later challenge three times--writing 28 short plays in 28 days (2022-24). Over two dozen of his plays have appeared in festivals or publications around the world. In 2022-23, he was the Jewish Plays Project inaugural 21st Century Playwright Fellow in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is a descendant of Ukrainian grandparents and prior to the War visited universities in Kiev and Kharkiv. A member of the Dramatists Guild of America, he is a Denver resident.

JOHANNA JAQUITH (Actor)

Johanna Jaquith is thrilled to be working with Cypherbird Projects for the first time.  Johanna was most recently seen as Kitty Sunderson in Perfect Arrangement at Firehouse Theatre, Ariel in Queen at Three Leaches Theatre, and Della Doucet in Della Doucet at Vintage Theatre.  Some of her other past favorite roles include Barbara in Run for Your Wife (Spotlight Theatre), Alex in Dogs Barking (Silhouette Theatre), Denise in The One Act Play That Goes Wrong (Vintage Theatre), Narrator in Puffs (Lost and Found), Wanda in Baby Dance (Silhouette Theatre), and Sarah in Beau Jest (Spotlight Theatre).  Johanna also performs at Casa Bonita as a member of their roaming cast.  Johanna has a BA from Miami University and an MA from Regis University.  She is also a mother (in her spare time lol) to three wonderful and crazy little boys.

PAUL JAQUITH (Director)

Paul is thrilled to be directing this reading! It is vital for the future of theatre that new works are performed and seen by as many audiences as possible. Paul has been doing theatre in Colorado since 2009. And around the country since 2002. Some of his favorite directing projects have included The Normal Heart (Vintage Theatre), The Baby Dance (Silhouette Theatre), and Della Doucet (Vintage Theatre). He is also an actor and has had the honor of being a part of Avenue Q (Vintage Theatre), This is How it Goes (Silhouette Theatre), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Longmont Theatre Company), and The Best Day of Your Life (Vintage Theatre). Paul will be directing for Firehouse Theater this fall with Topher Payne's Comedy, Let Nothing You Dismay, in November. He thanks his wife and 3 boys for their love and support and for letting him do theatre from time to time.

ELIZABETH KIRCHMEIER (Actor)

Elizabeth Kirchmeier (she/her) is a Denver based actor and producer. She most recently produced, wrote, and performed in Mouse City Podcast, presented at Denver Fringe Festival 2025. Her most recent appearances onstage include Maureen in Three Leaches production of To The Bone and Emily Brontë in Band of Toughs' newest devised epic Gin and Gothic, a Brontë Rocktale. Follow her work and other fun happenings on Instagram: @ itslizkirchmeier

FELICE LOCKER (Playwright)

Felice’s new full-length, Rinsed, was developed by Athena Project’s Read & Rant and 50 Steps to the Beach was presented at the Gary Wideman Festival this summer. Felice was Co-creator and co-writer of SCARS: UNMASKED produced at Red Rocks Community College. The Skeleton Rep(resents) NYC developed and presented Mud Season. Felice’s work was also produced in Colorado by Theater 29 Denver and The Three Leaches and at FEED: Après by The Catamounts. The book, SHE PERSISTED: One Hundred Monologues from Plays by Women over Forty, includes her monologue. She held a Theater 29 Denver CoLab Residency, 2020-2022. Finalist: Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Semi-Finalist: O’Neill NPC, Unicorn Theatre, MultiStages, and Athena Project.

JOHN-CHRISTIAN "J.C."MAHEU (Actor)

As a passionate individual deeply embedded in the vibrant community, I find myself at the intersection of creativity and collaboration, driving a strong creative turbine force that inspires artistic expression. My interests as a Technical Director and General Manager at The Three Leaches Theater as well as a Drag Queen allow me to oversee innovative drag productions that not only captivate audiences but also challenge societal norms through bold storytelling. In addition to my managerial role, I am a karaoke host, creating joyful experiences for participants and audiences alike. I also contribute to the First Fridays at a local art gallery, enhancing the cultural experience with engaging performances and community connections. Furthermore, I am heavily involved in singing for the Wild Beautiful orchestra, where the power of music unites us all. Ultimately, my role is to strengthen community bonds, weaving a rich tapestry of shared experiences and inclusivity, particularly through the vibrant world of drag, while fostering a space for creativity to flourish.

CORTNEY PATSTON (Actor)

Cortney is so excited for this opportunity to perform with Cypherbird Projects. It has been quite awhile since she performed on stage! Her last performance was in the musical Disaster! with the Platte Valley Players in 2019. Beforehand, she played Sam in the regional premier of Apple with Silhouette Theatre Company in 2013 and Emmy in the regional premier of Jailbait, also with Silhouette Theatre Company in 2012.  She is so happy to be reunited with old friends and be a part of this creative process.

CASEY WALSH (Actor)

Casey Noell Walsh is a local Denver actress who recently graduated from CU Boulder with a BFA in Acting. She currently has a completed Interactive Voice Demo and works as a Murder Mystery Actor. She is a lover of fantasy and all sorts of mythical creatures; she enjoys visiting the Renaissance Faire as well as playing Dungeons and Dragons.