CAST

Diego
DANIEL MELO

Imelda
YAJAIRA PAREDES*

Third Actor
VICTOR RODIGUEZ, JR.*

Fourth Actor
VANESSA GOMEZ

COLLABORATORS

Written By
TANAQUIL MÁRQUEZ

Directed By
MARISOL ROSA-SHAPIRO

Stage Manager
CAT BRENNAN

Sound Designer
TYLER A. BERG

Lighting Designer
SARAH WOODS

Properties Designer
MARY GRAGEN ROGERS

Producing Team/
coLAB Arts

Producing Director, Co-Producer
DAN SWERN

Director of Education, Co-Producer
JOHN KELLER

Producing Associate
VICTORIA MASTELLER

Community Organizer
YEIMY GAMEZ CASTILLO

General Manager
JEFF KEY

Digital Archivist and Research Associate
DR. ADDIE GORDON

Line Producer for Teatro Esperanza Oral History Team
GLORIA NUNEZ-CARDONA

Scholar-in-Residence from Rutgers University-New Brunswick
DR. KENNETH SEBASTIAN LEON

Oral History Team
FLORIBEL CRUZ-HERNANDEZ, RICARDA GARCIA, and CAROLINA MORATTI

A Note from the Playwright, Tanaquil Márquez:

¡Hola a todos! Muchas gracias por venir, thank you so much for coming to see El Vestido de Cristal. This play is inspired by the collective voices of the strong and beautiful migrant community of New Brunswick. I want to say a huge thank you to Carolina, Ricarda and Floribel for guiding and uplifting these stories, a big hug to CoLab Arts for their continued support of the community y un aplauso to Marisol, Yajaira, Victor, Daniel and Vanessa for filling this piece with a lot of heart. Y claro, a big thank you to the community of New Brunswick for always welcoming me into their home. Que disfrutan! Enjoy!

CAST BIOS

DANIEL MELO

Daniel Melo (he/him/el) (Deigo) is a Dominican-American actor/singer who is excited to interpret the role of Diego in this El Vestido de Cristal production. He is a graduate of the University of the Arts 18', who has been fortunate to perform in both classical and contemporary plays over the years. His mission as an actor is to carefully craft characters that can encourage audiences to reflect on their own lives and inspire them to contribute positively to society. Some favorite roles that Daniel has played are Annas in Jesus Christ Superstar at NCC Summer Theatre, Sid in Waiting For Lefty at Quintessence Theatre Group, and Sebastian in Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras at Delaware Shakespeare Co. Daniel would like to thank everyone here at ColabArts for telling this wonderful Latino play and making this production possible, Enjoy the show! Sobre todo quiero darle las gracias a mi madre, por ser siempre una persona valiente, amorosa, ¡y a veces un poco charlatana! ¡Jejeje! Sin ti este papel no hubiera sido posible, ¡te adoro mami! Love you! =)  @dmelo160

YAJAIRA PAREDES

Yajaira Paredes (Imelda) Yajaira Paredes, a Venezuelan actress, is thrilled to join coLAB Arts in New Brunswick for the first time. She will perform in El Vestido de Cristal, written by Tanaquil Márquez and directed by Marisol Shapiro. This marks an exciting milestone in her career. @yajairaparedes

VANESA GOMEZ

Vanesa Gomez (she/her) (Fourth Actor) is a Philadelphia based theatre artist/performer born and raised in Denver, CO and a recent grad from the University of the Arts with a BFA in Musical Theatre. Past credits include Siluetas (Power Street Theatre), Two Gentlemen of Verona: The Musical (Shakespeare in Clark Park), In The Heights (CenterStage) and Urinetown (UArts). She would like to thank her family and close friends for their endless support and love. vanesagomez.net @vanesaclaraa

VICTOR RODRIGUEZ, JR.

Victor Rodriguez, Jr. (Third actor) Víctor Rodríguez, Jr. is a Philly-based performer who wears several hats within the field. On Indie Film, some highlights include supporting roles in: “Junk in The Truck: GONE” (Red Arena Films), “Ojala” (Accipiter Pictures), and “The Condo” (David Zhou Films). On T.V., he has been in a few commercials, including, 6ABC App, Patriot Home Care, (Eng. and Sp.) and Good2Go Car Insurance (Sp.). Victor is also a bilingual Voice-Over actor with a large body of work. In theater, his latest endeavors include playing 7 different character roles in Nichos (also by Tanaquil Márquez) with Esperanza Theater, (Phila.) Ancestor Elegua in Siluetas with Power Street Theater (Phila.), George Zimmerman in The Ballad of George Zimmerman (Mouth of Babes Theatre, Wilmington, NC), Sancho Panza in Man Of La Mancha– Barrymore Winner (Delaware Theatre Company), Constable Joe in Tuck Everlasting (The Centre Theater), and Homer/Old Sheep in Charlotte’s Web (Arden Theatre Company). Upcoming: In The Heights, with Bristol Riverside Theater. Victor is also a private Vocal Instructor at Diminuto Music Studio in Philadelphia. www.diminutomusicstudio.weebly.com He would like to thank “ Tana ” (Tanaquil) for recommending him for this meaningful production. Lastly, he is grateful for Patrick’s love, light, and unwavering support! @instacoffeeno

CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

Marisol Rosa-Shapiro
Marisol Soledad

Marisol Rosa-Shapiro (Director) a theater artist, educator, and facilitator based in NYC and Philadelphia, brings playfulness, empathy, and community-building into her work. A Princeton graduate, she studied at Helikos in Italy, where she trained in the Jacques Lecoq method. Marisol's work spans acting, directing, clowning, and community engagement, including projects with Theatre Horizon and Shakespeare in Clark Park. She is a board member of Clowns Without Borders USA and co-created The Most Important Place in the World, an acclaimed anti-colonial work on Puerto Rican diaspora. Her theater company, Soledad Ensemble, is developing The Seven Ravens Project, blending Grimm Brothers’ tales with modern migrant stories. @marisolmakes

Tanaquil Marquez

Tanaquil Marquez (Playwright) is a bold and innovative Latina artist, passionate about celebrating the LatinX voice through bilingual work. She has created original work and self-produced plays in both Spanish and English, building a bridge between her shared culture and communities. Tanaquil is the Director of Education at 1812 Productions and a member of 1812’s Artistic Core. Tanaquil is the recipient of the 2022 Pew project grant for Nichos and, in 2023, was a finalist for the F. Otto Haas Emerging Artist Award. She has created many original bilingual works as a director, producer, and writer, such as Azul and I Only Came to Use the Phone under her theater company project, La Fábrica. Upcoming for Tanaquil is The Thanksgiving Play at Villanova University and two original plays premiering in 2025: Twelfth Night with Liz Filios (Delaware Shakespeare) and La Otra with Eliana Fabiyi (1812 Productions). @tana.marie01

Tyler A. Berg

Tyler A. Berg (Sound Designer) is a sound designer and composer based in New York City. He received his MFA in Sound Design & Composition from Purdue University, and recently was the Associate Sound Supervisor for the 45th American Players Theatre summer season in 2024. Not only is he a multi-instrumentalist, he is also an amateur photographer, web designer, graphic designer, computer programmer, and chess player. Tyler is constantly trying to learn new skills and apply them to each story he tells. Recent design and original music credits include: PINE MOUNTAIN LODGE (Oregon Cabaret Theatre), PRIDE & PREJUDICE (UW Madison Theatre), and POIROT: THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD (Oregon Cabaret Theatre). Recent assistant/associate design credits include: A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Trinity Repertory Company), JOY & PANDEMIC (The Huntington). @tbsounddesigns ; www.tbsounddesigns.com

Cat Brennan

Cat Brennan (she/her) (Stage Manager) is a Philadelphia based theatre artist, and is thrilled to be working with coLAB Arts for the first time! Cat has worked in many facets of the theatre world, including acting, stage management, playwriting, and administrative work. Previous stage management credits includes theaters such as Philadelphia Theatre Company, Quintessence Theatre Group, OJ Productions, Cannonball Festival, 24 Hour Plays, the Curtis Institute of Music, and Hedgerow Theatre Company, among others. Cat is a graduate of Arcadia University, where she received her BA in Theatre Arts in 2019, and had her play HUDSONLAND produced as part of the Class of 2021 Senior Capstone Projects. A huge thank you to Marisol and the coLAB team for the opportunity, and much love to the cast and crew! For Grandpop, always. @_cat.brennan_

Sarah Woods

Sarah Woods (Lighting Designer) is a Jersey City, New Jersey-based Lighting Designer for all forms of live performance. She is so excited to be working with coLAB Arts again after her work on A Healthy Marriage and Mothermotherland in 2023. She is a proud graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Lighting Design the winter of 2022. She has lit productions all over NYC and NJ. Most recently: A-Train Anthology (Divine Riot), Duality (now playing at A.R.T./NY Theater), Lonely Planet (Luna Stage), Three Sisters (Columbia University). As an assistant, Sarah has worked on several productions at the Metropolitan Opera this season, the world-premiere play McNeal starring Robert Downey Jr, immersive cultural exhibit The Great Qin in Xi’an, China and more. You can keep up with her work at woodslighting.com or @woodslighting on Instagram.

Mary Gragen ROGERS

Mary Gragen Rogers (Properties Designer) is an educator, administrator, production manager, and puppeteer. Film and commercial credits include Wes Craven’s My Soul To Take and BOSE audio feature commercials. Regional credits include George Street Playhouse, Hartford Stage, The Alley Theater, Passage Theater, McCarter Theater, Connecticut Repertory Theater, BoxCar Theater, Flock Theater and CoLAB arts. New York credits at Premiere Stages and The Village Theater. National Tours of Dragon Tales Live! and Bear In The Big Blue House Live! Her work is on display at Universal Studios Hollywood and was formerly on staff at George Street Playhouse, McCarter Theater, and Montclair State University. Mary holds a BA from Wheaton College and an MFA from the University of Connecticut in Puppetry.

Special thanks to Seth Rozin and InterAct Theater Company and OceanFirst Bank.

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors  and Stage Managers in the United States, appearing under a Special Appearance Contract.