Cabaret Staff

Jacob Padrón ’08
Managing Director

Jacob is originally from Gilroy, California. Last fall he produced Suzan-Lori Parks' 365 Days/365 Plays for Center Theatre Group – a collaboration that brought 50 LA based theater companies together. He was the Associate Producer on the world premiere production of In the Cypher: A Poetry Slam (at Yale Cabaret) and is currently working with Jana Hoglund (Sound Design '08) on producing her new opera. Jacob has worked with Steppenwolf, CENTERSTAGE Baltimore, and El Teatro Campesino, among others. He received his BA in Communication Studies from Loyola Marymount University; MFA 2008, Theater Management, Yale School of Drama. In June 2008 Jacob will return to the west coast where he has been appointed the Associate Producer (Company) at Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Erik Pearson ’09
Co-Artistic Director

Erik is originally from Santa Cruz, California. He is the founding Artistic Director of The Quixote Project of San Francisco where he directed The Burial at Thebes, The Trojan Women: a love story and Life is a Dream.  Other directing credits include Journey to Santiago (Yale School of Drama), The Illusion (Yale Cabaret), Shakespeare Santa Cruz’s fringe production of Nahum Tate’s King Lear, Big Boys at the Actor’s Theater of Santa Cruz, Oedi for 60gRIT, Brilliant Traces at University of California, Santa Cruz, and numerous short films. His design credits include The Tamer Tamed and Coriolanus for Shakespeare Santa Cruz, The Long Christmas Ride Home for the Magic, Splittin’ The Raft and The Pavilion for Marin Theater Company, and The Glass Menagerie for Center Rep. Erik most recently appeared on stage withSan Francisco’s premiere cabaret troop Rococo Risqué.  He has taught theatre as a lecturer at USCS and as an acting tutor for Marin Theater Company’s Conservatory.  Erik is a second-year MFA candidate in the directing program.

Becca Wolff ’09
Co-Artistic Director

Becca is originally from Watsonville, California.  She has directed world premiere productions at Yale Cabaret (We're Celebrities...We're Just Not Famous Yet by Dorothy Fortenberry) and at Providence, Rhode Island’s Perishable Theatre (The Dog by Holly Hildebrand, Death of a Cat by C. Denby Swanson), Elemental Theatre Ensemble (Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman by David Rabinow), and several seasons of work by young playwrights with The Manton Avenue Project. Opera direction includes Hansel and Gretel (Humperdinck) and the upcoming Dialogues of the Carmelites (Poulenc) for Opera Theatre of Yale College, as well as the premiere production of a new score for Gertrude Stein's opera Dr. Faustus Lights the Lights by Tracy Minicucci and Caroline Shanti (Theatre Riot, Providence).  She co-wrote and directed In the Aisles Productions' (Santa Cruz, CA), Explain This (International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh). She has served as an Artistic Associate for Big Art Group (NYC) and Perishable Theatre (Providence) and Production Manager for Brown University’s Playwriting Program. 

Frances Black ’09
Associate Managing Director

Frances is a second-year MFA candidate in the theater management program at Yale School of Drama. She graduated from University of King's College in 2005 with an Honors BA in Theatre Studies. While living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Frances was a member of the King's theatrical society where she acted, directed, and wrote several plays with a group of theatre artists, many of whom continue to make theatre. Upon graduating, Frances worked in administration at the Gayety Theatre, assisted the producer of the Dora Awards (Toronto's awards celebrating the performing arts), and was a member of Muckheap Theatre that produced new international plays in Toronto. A native of Toronto, Frances was the founder and director of the Executive Nanny Service and periodically worked as a youth consultant at Young & Rubicam. As a theatre manager, Frances aims to be inspired by hilarious, naughty, and flavorful work. Once the spark is ignited, Frances will find the money, the audience, and the platform that is best suited to the work that is created by the artist. This of course will be followed by a stellar party that you won't want to miss!

Suzanne Appel '10
Associate Managing Director

Suzanne is a first year Theater Managment student at the Yale School of Drama. Prior to moving to New Haven, Suzanne was the Director of Individual Giving at Dance Theater Workshop in New York City. She served as Director of Development and Interim Director of Finance on the soon to be released independent film The Immeasurable Distance with Cedar Heart Pictures. Suzanne's recent artistic work includes adapting and directing Amerigo in Wonderland, which premieres this spring at the Cabaret. She recently wrote and directed WorkSpace, a site-specific dance-theater piece for a cubicle at Dance Theater Workshop. She is also the author and solo performer of The Girls Room , which won First Night International's Creative Programming Award for its presentation at Montclair New Jersey's First Night Festival. 

Jack Hilley ‘08
Web Designer and Technical Assistant

Jack is currently a third-year student in the Technical Design and Production program. He has a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Theatre Studies from Guilford College. For Yale Cabaret 2006-2007, Jack was an Artistic Associate and also served as the theatre’s Webmaster. Yale Cabaret credits include, The Boss in the Satin Kimono, Epicene, Philadelphia Chickens, Out of the Box, 24-Hour Theater, and In the Cypher: A Poetry Slam, and Mr & Mrs Hollywood. Jack has served as the Associate Production Supervisor for Yale Rep productions of Lulu and Richard II, as well as Yale School of Drama productions of Venus and Baal (all in 2007). Additional professional theatre associations include, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Guilford College, The Highlands Playhouse, and Triad Stage.

Chris Petersion ‘08
Technical Assistant

Chris Peterson is a third year MFA candidate in the TD&P program focusing on automation. Originally from Tucson, AZ, he completed his BA at Arizona State in Tempe. Chris spent the past summer working in London and Brussels on automation systems for the Brussels Opera House, the Dubai Shopping Mall, and the Venetian in Macau. Prior to that, he spent four years as the Technical Director of the Okoboji Summer Theatre in Okoboji, IA. This season marks Chris's second season as a Technical Assistant in the Cabaret.

Andrew Southard '09
Technical Assistant

Andrew is originally from South Florida, and completed his undergrad at Florida State University. After FSU he did a technical internship at the Battersea Arts Center in Battersea, London, UK.  Before coming to Yale he was the Technical Director at the University of Findlay in NW, Ohio for 3 years. Andrew is in his second year of the Technical Design and Production Program.

Sarah Stevens
Graphic Designer
www.greenanimaldesigns.com