Take Me To Dollywood | May 14-31

Theatre Company: The Fool Volk

The Fool Volk is a collective built on the belief that silliness goes hand in hand with change. Blending experimental play with classical rigor, they create visually bold, site-specific work that takes full advantage of the live medium. The Fool Volk embraces the figure of the Fool not as a clown, but as a truth-teller who uses humor to spark thought and feeling. Their productions mix audience interaction, games, scenes, and physical tasks to produce a whimsical and compelling experience.

Director: Luke Wisniewski

Luke Wisniewski is a proud Minnesotan and theater artist living in NYC. He recently co-directed/created/performed  “Distant Image of Tiny World” which held a sold-out run at ART NY with Re/Venue. He has performed with Clubbed Thumb, Hoi Polloi, JACK, The Brick, Movement Research, Kingsmen Shakespeare, and Commonwealth Shakespeare. He has directed at IRT Theater, Green Lung Studios, Quick + Dirty, The Clemente, American Theater of Actors, and recently assistant directed “FAMILY” by Celine Song at La MaMa and Re/Venue at Mark Morris Dance Center. He is the Co-Director of ALab Theater Festival. lukewisniewski.com

Playwright/Performer: Harris Singer

HARRIS SINGER (he/him) is a Georgia-born, New York City–based actor, playwright, and director. His work spans mediums and champions theatre that fully engages audience, body, and space. In Take Me To Dollywood, he serves as playwright and performs as The Playwright, blurring the line between author and performer. Selected playwriting credits include The Eleventh Goodbye (RWM Wine Selections) and Trying for Hedda (La MaMa Experiments Play Reading Series). As an actor, his credits include Measure for Measure (brooklynONE Productions), The Cherry Orchard (Staten Island Shakespeare), Leave If No Response (The Tank), and U/S Girl from the North Country (Actor’s Express). He is the co-founder and artistic director of The Fool Volk and is currently a directing apprentice with Actor’s Express in Atlanta, Georgia. Insta: @wacky.inflatablefanman | Web: harrissinger.com

Stage Manager: Orla Patterson 

Orla Patterson is a theatre artist whose recent credits include: This is Real (Target Margin Theater), PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (Little Lord/The Exponential Festival), Broken Images (Tea & Pickle Productions/Paradise Factory Theater), Bobbie Clearly (Vaguely Sharp/Flamboyán at The Clemente), Adjuncts (the cell), Worms (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Ghost of Bob Dylan Shows One of Us Greatness (Soho Playhouse), Episodic Theatre Project: Season 2 (Under St. Marks), and Into the Woods (Make Lemonade/The Flea). She is very excited to be a part of Take Me To Dollywood!

Production Manager: Nikita Chernin

Nikita Chernin (Production Manager) is a New York City–based theater artist and proud member of the Stage Managers’ Association. With a background in stage management, production management, and producing, he specializes in guiding new works from development to performance. His credits include Off-Broadway and regional productions such as the world premiere of works like Slam Frank and Dirty Books, as well as Little Shop of Horrors, Once on This Island, and The Wedding Singer at the Winnipesaukee Playhouse. For Take Me to Dollywood, Nikita is thrilled to support the creative team in bringing this bold and imaginative piece to life. He is passionate about building inclusive rehearsal processes and championing stories that challenge and connect communities. Nikita thanks his collaborators, mentors, friends, and family. Follow his adventures on Instagram @n6chernin. Nikita invites you to find joy in the unexpected and comfort in the wonderfully strange.

Scenic Designer: Sean Lillis

Sean Lillis is a Brooklyn based Scenic Designer from Poughkeepsie NY. He received a BFA from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Purchase College. His recent credits include  WRITE CLUB Summer Playfest, What the Constitution Means to Me: presented by Rivertowns Playhouse, The Sickness of Wanting: presented by PRIDEFEST at The Tank, Coriolanus presented by Nocturne Theatre at Dixon Place, l Inspector Pulse; takes his pulse presented by the Children’s Chamber Society at Lincoln Center, and the workshop of Take Me to Dollywood presented by the Fool Volk at St. Lydia’s. Sean’s goal is to work with new and emerging artists to tell meaningful stories.

Lighting Designer: Josh Healing

Josh Healing (He/Him) is a lighting designer, projection designer & composer for theater. Recent designs include THE KINGS MEN (Waterfront Museum), TRYING FOR HEDDA (ALab Fest), BLOOD WEDDING (Stone Circle Theater), THE SEAGULL etc…(The Clemente Center), SWEENEY TODD (NYU), BID (The Tank), A LIE OF THE MIND (American Theater of the Actors), STOP KISS (The Chain Theater), and ANXIETY IS THE DIZZINESS OF FREEDOM (NYU). Josh is also a junior lighting designer for FARO Studio, where he has lit projects for Valentino, Apple, Nike, and more. Josh is a proud Chicagoan and recent graduate of Tisch Drama. joshhealing.com

Lighting Assistant/Projection Designer: Micah Dominguez-Schatz

Micah Dominguez-Schatz is a lighting/media designer based in New York City, working in theatre, dance, and music performance. Recent credits: Ballet Revolución (Lighting Direction, Europe Tour), Here Now So Long (Lighting Design, NYLA), and The Arden of Faversham (Lighting Design, ALAB Festival). Website: mdsdesign.org

Costume Designer: Harper Edge

Harper Edge is a Costume Designer, Writer and Visual Artist. While finishing a degree at NYU Tisch in Dramatic Writing, Edge has aided in costuming multiple productions in the downtown theater space, (ALab Fest., The Clemente Theater, ect.) As a costumer, she focuses on vintage styling and working with unconventional materials to realize she and her colleagues collaborative vision. Edge’s background in oil painting and textile weaving (knit, crochet) informs the detail and composition of her work. Edge places emphasis on working with the production team to create a safe and comfortable space for all those involved in the costuming process. She currently resides in NYC with her cat Toulouse.

Sound Designer: Dustin Frankel

Dustin Frankel is a theatre & film sound designer and musician. With a background in film sound mixing, he brings a cinematic ear to the stage, creating immersive, layered soundscapes that highlight storytelling and atmosphere. His theatre credits include sound design on Take Me to Dollywood’s initial workshop, The Gallery Players Romeo & Juliet, and In Absentia. Pulling from experience as both a musician and a film sound mixer, Dustin blends the precise techniques of film with the energy of live performance to shape flexible and immersive theatrical worlds.

Dramaturg: Angelina Noelle

Angelina Noelle (she/they) is a Virginia native, now Brooklyn-based actor, soundpainter, and creative researcher thrilled to be a part of this show as the Take Me To Dollywood dramaturg! A graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts for Drama, she is drawn to complex, weird, and emotionally palpable stories that reflect the strange multitudes within the human condition. When they’re not collaborating, you’ll likely find her singing, ice skating, or wandering around the city with friends in search of a good cup of tea. [@aan9elina]

Producer: Tess Walsh

Tess Walsh (they/them) is a theatre maker raised and based in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. They studied anthropology and dramaturgy at SUNY Purchase, and currently study at CCNY, working towards a masters and certification in educational theatre. They previously worked at En Garde Arts as a marketing and producing assistant, and currently work within the NYC DOE. They have a deep passion for using the arts as a means of cultivating critical thinking and community engagement amongst young people.

Producer: Lydia Sims

Lydia Sims is an actor & producer originally from Savannah, GA. Most recently she produced and acted in the web series SHREWS (all on YouTube!) that’s making its way through the festival route, lastly Big Apple and the Art of Brooklyn. In the past year she’s been acting in plays around town, most recently Rocks and Geodes by Lydia Riess at BCTR & Erase Erase by Zoe Nelms at Grace Exhibition Space. Here’s her website and Instagram! Yay! lydiacsims.com @lydiacsims

Producer: Amelie Brooks-Hochheimer

Amelie Brooks-Hochheimer is a writer/director/producer/community builder living in Brooklyn. A graduate of the Rita & Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing, Amelie co-founded production company Fat Bitch Media with her bestie Pinky Mancuso, for which Amelie has thus far produced, written, and co-creative directed photoshoots, workshops, and theatre. In addition to her own ventures, Amelie has produced several other endeavors, including Out On Film Fest short film selection Heels (2023), upcoming horror short film Brute (2026) and Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories for PBS. In her free time Amelie enjoys hanging out with her three legged cat, eating good, and running away to the ocean.