TDPS Staff
Administrative & Advising Staff
Lyazzat Cohen
Lyazzat Cohen has more than 20 years of experience in finance, both in the private and public sectors. Her experience resides in different areas of finance such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, treasury and general accounting, budget operations, and fiscal management.
Lyazzat...Read more about Lyazzat Cohen
Ben Dillon
Ben Dillon oversees comprehensive messaging from TDPS to the campus and wider community. Students, faculty, and staff may contact Ben with questions regarding TDPS marketing, box office operations, event promotions, social media, and website management.
Ben previously served as the...Read more about Ben Dillon
Jean-Paul Gressieux
Jean-Paul Gressieux has over 19 years of experience in nonprofit management, including 17 years in the San Francisco Bay Area theater scene. As Company Manager of Berkeley Repertory Theatre from 2012–2019, Jean-Paul supported and collaborated with hundreds of artists, artisans, and other...Read more about Jean-Paul Gressieux
Laxmi Kumaran
Laxmi Kumaran has been with TDPS for over a decade. In addition to her role as Undergraduate Academic Advisor, she is a Continuing Lecturer for Technical Theater courses. She also teaches Stage Management in the Theater & Performance Studies Department at Stanford University. Laxmi...Read more about Laxmi Kumaran
Megan Lowe
After graduating from UC Berkeley in 2012, Megan was hired as the Office Manager for TDPS. She is now Program Associate, and her current duties include: course scheduling, enrollment, event coordination, and work-study supervision. She also teaches master classes on contact improvisation,...Read more about Megan Lowe
Avy Valladares
Dr. Avy Valladares is the Graduate Student Services Advisor for the Ph.D. program offered by the Graduate Group in Performance Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Italian Studies with a Designated Emphasis in Film and...Read more about Avy Valladares
Production Staff
Jane Boggess
Jane Boggess graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Theater Arts from Nebraska Wesleyan University. From there, she became a costume shop intern at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN. She began her professional career at the Guthrie doing wardrobe in house and was Wardrobe Supervisor on the...Read more about Jane Boggess
Jamila Cobham
Jamila Cobham (she/her) is a production manager and event producer with experience working in the United States and the Caribbean. Previously, she was the Production Manager for Cal Shakes (California Shakespeare Theater) where she managed numerous classics, as well as new works, that presented...Read more about Jamila Cobham
Peet Cocke
Peet Cocke is a director, playwright, and designer. His recent directing credits include Adam Esquenazi Douglas’s Pinned Butterfly, Susan Sobeloff’s Jubilee, and Naomi Wallace’s No Such Cold Thing. His original plays include Crush and Hum, Extraordinary Mysteries, Even at A Funeral, a movement...Read more about Peet Cocke
Joanne Cole
Joanne “Joany” Cole has been designing, constructing and wearing costumes for over 30 years. With an AAS in Fashion Design, she worked in the theater and fashion industries in Arizona as a Spec Technician, Marker Maker, Stitcher, First Hand, and Drafter/Draper. In addition to her...Read more about Joanne Cole
Emily Fassler
Zoë Gopnik-McManus
Zoë started her theatrical career at a young age, performing and creating for family plays. Her first design work was helping her mother to make props and costumes for her family performance in the Commedia Dell'arte show at the Renaissance Faire. She continued her theater studies at Concordia...Read more about Zoë Gopnik-McManus
Tim Kopra
Tim Kopra comes from a fine art background making sculptural installations, public art, and interactive spaces for events. He has fabricated throughout California for various artists and institutions, notably MoreLab, Cathartic Productions, and Gordon Huether Studios. He has taught fine art,...Read more about Tim Kopra
Robin Maegawa
Robin Maegawa (They/Them) is a lifelong lover of theater production. Originally from the midwest, they relocated to California to study Technical Direction at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. They have previously worked at Berkeley Repertory and American Conservatory...Read more about Robin Maegawa
Dio Ramirez
Dio Ramirez (they/them) is a head electrician and board programmer. They began their theatrical career at Cal, TDPS class of 2015. Some titles they have held over the last eight years include: freelance electrician, building engineer, museum preparator, and, most recently, facilities...Read more about Dio Ramirez
Denise Umland
Denise Umland started her career over 30 years ago working as a stitcher in the Maryland/DC area for Theater on the Hill’s summer stock, and costume designed and shop managed at McDaniel and Goucher Colleges. She then started working as an over hire at Olney Theatre Center for the Arts (Olney,...Read more about Denise Umland
Accompanists
Francis Kofi Akotuah
Francis Kofi Akotuah is drummer and teacher from Ghana. Born and raised in the capital city of Accra, Francis grew up in a melting-pot neighborhood immersed in the sounds of many of Ghana’s diverse musical cultures. After an 18-year career at the University of Ghana, Francis...Read more about Francis Kofi Akotuah
Nate Cavalieri
Nate Cavalieri is an Oakland-based musician, dance accompanist, sound artist and writer. Originally from Northern Michigan, he studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy and was a member of the Traverse City Symphony. He studied contemporary music and percussion at Oberlin Conservatory, where...Read more about Nate Cavalieri
Ian Erickson
Ian Erickson is a composer and performer currently living in Berkeley, California. He is a graduate of Missouri State University with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music Composition and Jazz Studies with an emphasis in Drum Set Performance. He also attended the Port Townsend School of...Read more about Ian Erickson
Ryan Huber
Ryan Huber is a multimedia artist with over a decade of experience providing musical and visual services for Bay Area dance and theater groups. He is a member of the San Francisco-based band, Battlehooch. In addition to music and video editing, he is passionate about yoga and biology....Read more about Ryan Huber
Ben Juodvalkis
Ben Juodvalkis composes original music for dance, film, theater, corporate events, and museum installations. He has created scores for over 50 organizations and has had his music performed on four continents. Ben works from his studio in San Francisco as well as on location with his mobile...Read more about Ben Juodvalkis