2025 season

Reed Flores is an East Bay based director and playwright. Reed has worked around the country at places such as Seattle Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, among others. Locally, Reed's worked with SFBATCO, Theatre Rhino, NCTC, Hillbarn Theatre, where he is currently Casting Director, and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, where he is currently the Line Producer. As a playwright, Reed has written plays with Bindlestiff Studio, Breaking Wave Theatre Company, and most recently joined the writing pool for PlayGroundSF. Favorite Directing credits include: RENT (Hillbarn Theatre), PUEBLO REVOLT (World Premiere, Alter Theatre Ensemble), BRACKISH (World Premiere, Wayward Voices). www.reedflores.com

Michelle is a Kalmyk/Filipina performance maker in the Bay Area for over 25 years. She is beyond excited to be directing this full production of Cuckoo and so grateful to be collaborating with so many fine artists.  Michelle most recent directing credits are THIRTY-SIX by Leah Nanako Winkler with Shotgun Players in Berkeley, the immersive rock play, DARKHEART by Golda Sargento with Bindlestiff Studios in SF. Michelle is a proud member of Shotgun Players’ artistic company and a proud member of the all AAPI Bay Area theatre collective, Ferocious Lotus. Michelle is currently an adjunct professor at University of San Francisco.

Julius Rea is a Bay Area-based playwright, journalist, producer, grant writer and conflict resolution facilitator. With a degree in Philosophy from SFSU, Rea co-founded journalism theatre company The Forum Collective in 2018 and cooperatively-owned arts magazine Substrate Arts in 2022. He is also a previous Theatre Bay Area Arts Leadership Residency artist, which allowed him to work with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. Dedicated to holistic healing and equity, they create new projects on underrepresented narratives based on deeply-rooted research, interviews, and dramaturgy. Rea received a 2023-24 Creative Corps Initiative grantee to further develop The Day the Sky Turned Orange.

Olivia Kuper Harris is a musical artist and songwriter from Dallas, Texas, with her main influences in jazz and soul. Harris began writing at a young age and is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to compose the music for “The Day The Sky Turned Orange”, and to be back music directing this next workshop. Harris began her career in theatre, starring in productions on the Las Vegas Strip, Broadway in Chicago, and The Wallis Annenberg, namely with Los Angeles based theatre company, For The Record Live. Harris went on to tour the world with Postmodern Jukebox after winning their international talent search, and currently performs with Teddy Swims as a background vocalist. Harris’s debut independent album, “Juicy”, reaching #12 on the Top 100 R&B/Soul ITunes Charts, followed by her EP “Luvtrovert”, and sophomore album, “Stylish”. Catch Harris on the Season 3 Finale of FOX’s “I Can See Your Voice” on Hulu. Harris’s voice is also featured in the MTV documentary, “Each And Every Day”, and in “The Playroom” film, which landed her a write-up in The New York Times, “Ms. Harris is quite a singer. Over the closing credits she delivers the eeriest, loveliest version of “Up on the Roof” you’re ever likely to hear.” Harris holds a BFA in musical theatre from Carnegie Mellon University. Learn more and join her newsletter for updates at www.OliviaKuperHarris.com

David Michael Ott, based in Los Angeles, California, is the proverbial triple threat in music: A Grammy-nominated producer, a talented multi-instrumentalist, and a sought-after mixing engineer.

David developed his natural gift at a young age, mastering several instruments, including violin, saxophone, bass, guitar, drums and piano. He showcased an incredible versatility and deftness with each of the aforementioned instruments, and it didn't take long before he began creating his own seminal work.

David produced and mixed several songs across four seasons of the Fox hit series Empire, which received Emmy nominations for “Hemingway” and “Come Undone”. David was also an integral part of the Grammy-nominated Empire album that beat out Madonna’s Rebel Heart to earn the #1 slot on the Billboard 200 album charts. David also recently played keys and added additional production for A Tribe Called Quest, "Footprints" ft. CeeLo Green: A particular honor for him to collaborate with childhood musical heroes, as well as his longtime mixing mentor, Neal Pogue of Outkast fame.

David prides himself on working with a wide variety of artists. As a result, his musical style is always evolving, as he delves deeper into the possibilities of composition, producing, and mixing.  The one constant over time and across genres, is his creation of dynamic, visceral and engaging music.

Rodney Earl Jackson Jr. is the Artistic Director & Co-Founder of The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company (SFBATCO), now in its 10th year! He made his Broadway debut in “The Book of Mormon” the same summer he began the venture of SFBATCO. In his 33 years of life, he has been blessed to grace international stages, participate in workshop/development processes for major plays and pre-Broadway shows (such as Toni Stone and Ain’t Too Proud), and bring his artistic insights, creative experiences, and fresh ideas to his home theatre company: SFBATCO. A native of San Francisco, he cultivated his love and foundation for the performing arts, particularly theatre, through public city organizations such as SFartsEd, San Francisco Recreation & Park’s YPTMTC, and the Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts, where he graduated from the theatre department. He proudly holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, and he acknowledges the incredible support of the SFBATCO staff and board, who champion his vision and creative voice in the Bay Area. Additional theatre credits include Berkeley Repertory "Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations", SFBATCO's "I, Too, Sing America" & "Toni Stone" co-produced by Arena Stage and American Conservatory Theatre.

Nikki Meñez is a director, movement artist, and arts administrator based in the San Francisco Bay Area who is moved to challenge what performing arts look like and how stories are told. Nikki is the Curatorial Director at Z Space where they curate and cultivate the rental partnerships that populate the venue side of the organization and coordinate Z Space's various residency programs in order to make the venue more accessible to the local arts community. When not at Z Space or directing, Nikki works in casting and artist outreach, theater education, and arts advocacy for a more equitable, sustainable, and humane creative ecosystem.

Vince Chan is a Bay Area native, born and raised in Daly City, CA. He currently dances on The Company, based out of WSPA, and has worked with artists such as P-Lo and E-40. In 2022, Vince was the associate choreographer for The Day the Sky Turned Orange and is super excited to be returning as the choreographer this time around. When not dancing, Vince works in Marketing Operations at an SF tech company.

Aidaa Peerzada is the Literary & Outreach Manager at SFBATCO. She is an actor and writer who grew up between the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland and Lahore, Pakistan. She is currently a recipient of the Theatre Bay Area’s Director’s Residency and is SFBATCO’s Artistic Development Director. Aidaa studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts and went on to receive her BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University.She debuted her voice as a writer in CMU’s "Playground" Festival with her play “Scheherazade” which went on to the NYC Fringe Festival. Workshops of her original plays include: One Googol and One (SFBATCO), Grandma Science,(The Greenhouse Theatre Solo Lab), Shining, (The Ground and Field Theatre Festival at UC: Davis.) She is currently co-writing the book of an original musical Sunflowered, in development with Northern Sky Theatre. Regional performance credits include: The Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf Theatre Co, American Players Theatre, Theatre Lila and Quantum Theatre. Her on-camera credits include the HBO series Girls, the web series Blank My Life, as well as the independent films Gorenos, and Stay Home.