Andrea Almario is currently a theater major at UC Berkeley where her passion and love for the arts blossomed in a little space on Natoma alley called Bindlestiff. She has explored different mediums of performance from writing, acting, standup comedy, directing, improv, and sketch. She is delighted to partake in new works and strives to involve herself in community collaboration. Photo by Ann Borja

Juan G. Berumen specializes in both educational policy research and community-based theater to transform society.  With a doctorate in Educational Policy, he researches effective policies for empowering minortized students in the P-20 Pipeline, including those that intersect with the arts. As a member of Campo Santos, Juan focuses on stories that capture the strengths and complexities of our communities.  

Joe Cascasan is a Bindlestiff resident artist who attributes most of his knowledge and skills from being in various Bindlestiff productions and workshops.  He has appeared in Lorna Velasco's PINOY MIDSUMMER, which was an adaptation of William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER SUMMER NIGHTS DREAM. Other Bindlestiff production Joe has appeared in have been LOVE EDITION, STORIES HIGH, and a few sketch comedy shows performing with his comedy troupe TASTE BETTER WIT.

Esperanza Catubig is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and has been a professional actor for over twenty years, appearing in stage productions, educational theatre, commercials, industrials, a one-woman show, TV and film.  She is a huge fan of Conrad Panganiban's work and loves collaborating with him.  Represented by JE Talent, she continues to study with award-winning acting teacher & director Richard Seyd, develop new works, coach actors, and direct various projects.

Lorenz Angelo Gonzales has been a proud member of Bindlestiff for the past 4 years. He most recently directed "Holed Up In the Delta," in Stories High XIV at Bindlestiff, and has also acted in Bindlestiff productions such as Stories XII, XIII, and The Bakla Show 3. His other directing credits include Gruesome Playground Injuries and Topdog/Underdog for UC Berkeley's Dept. of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies's annual Director's Showcase.

Rhoda Gravador lives a secret life as a piano and voice teacher with a practice in both San Francisco and Marin when she is not crunching numbers and complying to GAAP at her very full time day job. After studying to be an operatic singer from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she followed the organic progression into sketch comedy where she was an actor and the principle female writer for the Asian American sketch comedy group, The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors.

Julie Kuwabara is a member of Bindlestiff Studio most recently appearing in; The Love Edition: Best Laid Plans (Future Feliciana), A Pinoy Midsummer (Helena), and A Sad Kind of Love Story (Emily).   She's also collaborated with Impact Theatre in Troilus and Cressida (Helena), Magic Theatre's Virgin Play series Dogeaters (Daisy Avila/Lolita Luna) and local improv group GrannyCart Gangstas. Up next is Hedda Gabler at Bindlestiff Studio as Thea Elvstead. 

Sarita Ocón is an actor, visual artist, digital media artist and educator. She was most recently seen in the national tour of "Placas: The Most Dangerous Tattoo" by Paul Flores and directed by Michael J. Garcés, "Twelfth Night" with Cal Shakes and Intersection for the Arts, and "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" at San Francisco Playhouse. Sarita holds a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity from Stanford University.

Lorna Velasco (Producer/Dramaturge) started under the mentoring of Bindlestiff’s founder Chrystene Ells. She continued her theatre arts education at UC Berkeley and then at the Arts Institute of Indonesia where she learned classical Javanese dance, gamelan, and, wayang kulit with Pak Eddy Pursubryanto at the University of Gadja Mada. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.A. in Drama. Photo by: Ann Borja

Christina received her B.A. in Asian American Studies from San Francisco State University. It was with Bindlestiff Studio, that she grew as a dancer, producer, director, writer, and is currently a resident artist. This summer she will be a panel speaker with the Long Beach Indie Digital Edutainment Conference, where she will be discussing fashion politics as well as her screenplay, Harajuku Faux Pas. Christina can be reached at cyalexis@gmail.com.