Jacob York

Playwright

A native of Fairdealing, Kentucky, Jacob’s writing credits include HOMERS (World Premiere - Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Roswell, GA), INITIATIVE (Winner, YES Festival at Northern Kentucky University - Semi-finalist, Playfest at Orlando Shakespeare Festival), ADULTERY FOR BEGINNERS (Semi-finalist, Humanitas New Voices Program), LAGERBORDELL (Staged Reading, Stage Door Players), and lead writer for MIDDLE SCHOOL THE MUSICAL and THE REAL TWEENAGERS OF ATLANTA (World Premiere - Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA). Jacob is also a contract writer for The reThink Group.

Jacob served as for three years as Artistic Associate at Stage Door Players and was responsible for spearheading the WORKS IN PROGRESS WEDNESDAYS initiative, which highlighted new works by Atlanta playwrights. In addition to writing, Jacob is known as an actor on stage (URINETOWN at Nashville Repertory Theatre - WOMEN IN JEOPARDY! at Arizona Theatre Company – MACBETH at Atlanta Shakespeare Company), on screen (TURN: WASHINGTON’S SPIES on AMC - YOUR PRETTY FACE IS GOING TO HELL on Adult Swim), and in your ears as an audiobook narrator (TO KILL A KINGDOM by Alexandra Christo - CERTAIN, DARK THINGS by M.J. Pack).

Cast

Jonah Jackon

Dave

Jonah is so excited for his first show with Woven Theatre! He is a Tennessee native and co-creator of actual-play RPG podcasts The Quest Company and Quest Company Junior. Recent credits include: Avenue Q, Shakespeare in Love (Nashville Rep), The Little Mermaid (Nashville Children's Theatre), The World Over (Pipeline Collective). Jonah is so thankful to be playing alongside his beautiful wife, and thankful that she took the plunge to join him in the world of tabletop gaming! jonahmjackson.com

Diego Gomez

Benny

Diego Gomez (Benny) is thrilled to join Woven Theatre Company’s premier of Initiative by Jacob York. Diego is an actor/director/writer and a native of Nashville, Tennessee. Diego is a graduate of Columbia College in Chicago and has recently worked with Humanity Theatre Project’s production of Sweat. Recent select credits include Con in Stupid F*#$ing Bird (Act 1), Friar Tuck/Fight Director in Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood, Katurian in The Pillowman (Act 1), Chorus in Maria De Buenos Aires (Nashville Opera), John in Failure: A Love Story (Actors Bridge Ensemble)

Alyssa borg

Sky

Alyssa graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance. While in Austin, Alyssa became a paid mime, and performed as an actor and singer in various festivals including South by Southwest, First Night Austin, FronteraFest, and ArtSpark. She moved to New York in 2008 and worked as a voiceover artist and Shakespearean/sketch comedy actor. In 2016, she became a Yoga Alliance 200 hour Registered Yoga Teacher through Encourage Yoga, in Croton, NY, and moved to Nashville. Alyssa currently teaches yoga through Small World Yoga and recently made her Nashville stage debut in Verge Theater Company’s production of Mr. Burns, a post electric play

JR Robles

Tyrone

JR Robles (TYRONE) is an actor, writer, and director who lives in Nashville, TN. Many years ago, he embarked on a quest with several close friends as The Master Hu Ling, a gregarious and dexterous Bard on a great quest (3rd Ed.). Though the details of that quest are lost to the sands of time, the lessons learned about character building, decision making, and the necessity of a bag of holding remain. Also still present is a deep appreciation for the bonds we build when doing fun things with cool people. He is thrilled to play Tyrone, and excited to DM for this group of ruffians. Chaotic Good.

Sarah Zanotti

MEg

Sarah is thrilled to be working with Woven Theatre. She is a graduate from Lipscomb University. Some of her Nashville credits include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Nashville Shakespeare Festival, “Beauty and the Beast” with Studio Tenn, and “The World Over” with Pipeline Collective. Sarah is also a co-host of the Quest Company and the Quest Company Jr. -two live RPG gaming podcasts. She would like to thank the cast and Woven Theatre for their incredible kindness and her amazing husband, of course his love and support, but more importantly for introducing her to Dungeons and Dragons.

Creative Team/staff

Sam Lowry

Director/Set & Costume Designer/Woven Artistic Council Member

Sam Lowry is an Atlanta born theatre artist who now calls Nashville home. Along the way he has served as a director, designer, and stage combat choreographer. He holds a B.F.A in Directing from Belmont University, and is a certified Advanced Actor Combatant with the SAFD. He is extremely excited to share this wonderfully nerdy show with the world.

William Kyle Odum

Sound&Lighting Designer/Producer/Woven Artistic Council Member

William Kyle Odum is from Harlem, Georgia but now calls Nashville home. He currently works at the Harpeth Hall School as an Assistant Technical Director, IT specialist, and as a Director.  Although Kyle has a degree in directing he is also a sound designer, light designer, and set designer has worked with many theatres and schools across the Nashville area including The Nashville Children's Theatre, The Nashville Rep, Studio Tenn, NSF, TSU, Belmont University, Fisk University, Verge Theatre, and Pipe-line Collective. Recent credits include the World Premiere of Opus: The Totally Real Not Made Up Story of a Boy and his Skeleton, TRUTH/DARE and the Pitchforks with Woven Theatre, Smart People and Inherit the Wind with the Nashville Rep, Kimberly Akimbo and The Flick with Verge Theatre and Ghost and Dragons Love Tacos with the Nashville Children's Theatre. Coming up he is producing The Loom: New Works Festival, providing the lighting and sound design for Initiative by Jacob York (a new D&D play) and directing and designing the World Premiere of Tall Tales by A.D. Timms (a supernatural queer horror play). He is also a Co-Founder and an Artistic Council member with Woven Theatre Company and serves as a producer on all productions.  Mr. Odum holds a B.F.A. in Theatre Directing and is a member of the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA) and the Association of Sound Designers (ASD). woventheatre.org

Erica Jo Llyod

Woven Artistic Council Member/Producer/New Works Co-Director

Erica Jo Lloyd is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa where she created theatre with a variety of organizations including Theatre Cedar Rapids, Urban Theater Project of Iowa, Brucemore Classics, and Brucemore Children's Theatre and she founded the Underground New Play Festival which will be producing it's 100th new play in 2019. Now a resident of Nashville, Erica is thrilled to be a part of Nashville Repertory Theatre as the Artistic Associate where she gets to work on the Ingram New Works Project; one of the coolest things of which she's ever gotten to be a part. She holds a BFA in Theatre Directing and Arts Administration from Viterbo University but her true love is playwrighting. Erica is devoted to bringing more roles for women to the stage. She's delighted to join the Woven team.

River Timms

Producer/Resident Playwright/Literary Manager/New Works Co-Director

River Timms was born in Alabama and raised in the sticks. They graduated from Belmont University with a B.A in Theatre. Timms has worked with Woven since its inception as an actor and sound designer. Their play Opus: The Totally Real, Not Made Up Story of a Boy and His Skeleton made its world premiere through Woven Theatre in its 2018 season. As a gay and genderqueer artist, Timms is most interested in theatre that deals with LGBTQ characters and issues, but they also have a passion for seeing new theatrical works flourish. They are a member of the Dramatists Guild. Timms helps with marketing and runs The Loom, Woven’s annual new works festival. Their plays can be found here.

Director’s Note

I was first introduced to dungeons and dragons my junior year of high school, and since then it has become an important part of my life. It has allowed me to maintain old friendships over long distances and to forge new ones. It is a way of living a life one is not capable of, a way of being bigger than yourself. For me it’s a way to craft unique and deeply personal memories with people you care about, and it's the same for Dave. It is his same investment in the magic and experience that is D&D, that allows him to have these meaningful experiences that he wouldn’t otherwise get. 

When I read this play a year ago I was immediately reminded of this magic. The unique dynamic of sitting around a table rolling dice is there. Jacob wonderfully captured the complex interaction between players and their characters. Then uses that to face grief, loss and death head on, exploring them in a different, very personal way. Initiative is a wonderful love letter to nerds and non-nerds alike. 

Special thanks

Nashville Rep, The Barbershop Theatre, The Harpeth Hall School, Graham and Nettie, Jan Augusty, Adam Wilsman, Josh Kiev, Stephanie Hamiliton, Dixie Currey, Roobert, The Kids, Claudia Barnett, Tessa Bryant