Sound Theatre Staff

Teresa Thuman
Founder and Co-Artistic Director

Teresa launched Sound Theatre Company in 2006 with the site-specific production of The Tempest performed in the water and on the shore of Lake Sammamish, WA. Other Sound Theatre directing credits include ASL Midsummer Nights Dream, Goblin Market, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Holiday of Errors, Dogg’s Hamlet/Cahoot’s Macbeth, The Illusion, Pygmalion, Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged), Troilus and Cressida, Top Girls, and The Belle of Amherst. In 2004 Teresa acted in the dual capacity of Director/Producer for Dead Woman Home, which performed in Seattle and toured to New York City, San Francisco and the Philippines. Other local directing credits include Othello, Henry VIII, The Bacchae, As You Like It, King John (GreenStage); Opera Workshop, A Little Night Music, Big Fish, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Down In The Valley, Sweeney Todd, Dido And Aeneas, Working, She Loves Me, Into the Woods, The Impresario (Shoreline CC) as well as productions with Mount Baker Theatre, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle Music Theatre, Bainbridge Performing Arts, Driftwood Players, and Theater Schmeater. In California and Oregon Teresa has directed at PCPA Theatrefest, Central Coast Shakespeare, San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre, George Fox University, CenterPoint Theatre Company and served as Assistant Director for The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Troilus and Cressida with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Teresa has taught at UW School of Drama PATP, UNC Chapel Hill, Shoreline Community College, Cornish College of the Arts, George Fox University, Allan Hancock College, Freehold ETI and served eight years as an Artist-in-Residence at PCPA Theatrefest  where she taught  in the Conservatory and acted in over 30 productions. She holds an MFA in Directing from University of Portland and a BFA in Acting from Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts.

Shermona Mitchell
Co-Artistic Director

Shermona is an actor, director, and adaptor, transplanted in Seattle by way of Kentucky. In addition to working artistically for over two decades in Seattle, Shermona has enjoyed a myriad of opportunities both nationally across Washington, Oregon, and Pennsylvania and internationally in Canada and Turkmenistan. Shermona’s work has been seen on stages at The 5th Avenue Theatre, Sound Theatre Company, ACT, Intiman Theatre, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Anything is Possible Theatre and theater simple, among many others. Shermona serves as Co-Artistic Director for Sound Theatre Company.

Jay Woods
Resident Artist 

JAY WOODS (SDC) (she/her) is a director, educator and performer transplanted in Seattle from New York. Newly appointed to Associate Artistic Director: Artist Engagement at The 5th Avenue Theatre, Jay recently finished serving in artistic leadership for Sound Theatre Company where she is now an artist in residence. She has worked across the U.S., and internationally for institutions such as Seattle Rep, Seattle Public Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Earthseed, ArtsWest, Village Theatre, ACT Theatre, Seattle University, Duke, Carnegie Mellon, and Yale. As a response to the 2020 pandemic and racial uprising, Jay founded the Seattle Theatre Leadership Collective which unites artistic leadership across the region in pursuit of a healthier arts-ecosystem. Some directing credits include Beauty and the Beast (5th Ave Theatre), the world premiere of Reparations by Darren Canady (Sound Theatre), Citizen: An American Lyric (Sound Theatre), the U.S. premiere of B (Washington Ensemble Theatre), and Skeleton Crew (ArtsWest). Miss Jay holds an M.A. in Directing from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, a B.A. in Theatre from SUNY Brockport, and studied film in Thailand at Mahidol University. Currently in process: artist in residence at ON THE BOARDS, and the director of Sweeney Todd at the 5th Avenue Theatre April 2023.

Riley Gene
General Manager 

Riley Gene (they/them) is a Seattle-based actor, director, educator, playwright, and producer currently serving as the Business Manager of Sound Theatre Company. They have performed on stage with the Seattle Repertory Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, The 14/48 Projects, Cornish College, The Core Ensemble, The Scratch, Freehold’s Engaged Theatre Program, Dacha Theatre, and others. In 2015 they founded Runaway Stage Theatrics where they produced, performed, and were awarded Facebook’s “Local Community Action Grant” for their work focusing on the cultural enrichment of rural areas and helmed the company for three years. In 2019 they directed the world premiere of Out in the Open at the Alhadeff Studio. Other directing credits include shows with Washington Ensemble Theatre, ACT Theatre, Cornish College of the Arts, and others. They have produced with The Scratch, Runaway Stage Theatrics, as well as independently and are currently a lead teaching artist at Seattle Children’s Theatre, Foundry10, Village Theatre’s KIDSTAGE, and JackStraw. They are a graduate of Cornish College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Original Works Theater.

P. Alyda Sorm
Associate Production Manager 

Alyda Sorm is a second generation Khmer American and lifetime resident of Seattle. She graduated from the University of Washington in late 2019 with a BA in Drama and minor in Diversity, where she first stage managed for the UW School of Drama (Goldie, Max and Milk and Incident at Vichy). Her biggest dream and current long term project is to write plays and novels centering around the experiences of Southeast Asian Americans of all identities, with a little adventure and magic for some fun. Meanwhile, she loves to work as part of production teams, whether through stage or production management. In her free time, Alyda walks with her dogs and volunteers with the Khmer community around King County.

Aimee Chou
Artistic Associate: Making Waves Coordinator

Aimee Chou is a Deaf Asian-American theatremaker whose projects span playwriting, acting, and most recently, directing an ASL reading of Mike Lew’s Tiger Style! (Huntington Theatre). She is a PR coordinator at Sound Theatre Company, and also contributes to the grant proposals writing team. Playwright credits: Resilience: Thoreauly Zoomed Out (Ars Nova), Humanly Possible (Deaf Spotlight Short Play Festival, and an ASL reading for California State University Northridge), Motherclucker! (Theatre Battery), Plumb Crazy Pipe Dream (Deaf Spotlight Bathroom Tales Short Play Festival), and contributed a collaborative short play for the National Theatre of the Deaf Playwright Convening. Acting credits include Snow in Midsummer and Romeo & Juliet (U/S, Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Kiki’s Delivery Service (Theatre Battery) and God of Carnage (Deaf Spotlight). Chou is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Karli Reinbold
Box Office Manager 

Karli Reinbold is so excited to be a part of the Sound Theatre team! Back during in-person performances, she worked in the box office and front of house. She loves connecting with audiences who come to the show and hearing all the thoughts on different shows. When she’s not doing that, she helps behind the scenes doing office documentation work. Karli also loves being on the stage, as her passion is in acting. There is something special about sharing stories with a community. Sound Theatre is an amazing place to work and play. The shows that we create give light to stories the are usually kept in the dark. Karli is so happy to continue the work that’s happening everyday.

Nikeesha Gooding
Marketing & Community Engagement Associate 

Nikeesha Gooding (she/they) is a queer biracial/tricultural artist, writer, and photographer based in Seattle. She graduated from the University of Washington in Spring of 2020 with a B.A. in Comparative History of Ideas, her capstone project centering on the representation of mental illness in film and video games (with a focus on the horror genre). While attending school, they were the lead photo/videographer for the Husky Union Building, as well as a photojournalist for The Daily UW. Initially joining Sound Theatre team under their mentorship program as the Marketing Assistant, she officially became a member of the staff as the Marketing & Community Engagement Associate in December of 2022, where she’s working on the foundational Community Engagement efforts within the company and honing their skills as the company’s in-house graphic designer. In their free time, they enjoy doing tarot readings, writing poetry, creating visual art, and rambling about the deeper meanings of any given piece of media to whomever has the patience to humor her.

Danielle Sagona
Interim Accessibility Coordinator 

Danielle Sagona (she/her) recently moved to Seattle from Orlando where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Studies and a minor in American Sign Language from the University of Central Florida. Danielle has been a working actor in theater, film, television, live performance, and commercials for over twenty years. She is currently taking courses at Gallaudet University’s online certificate program to become a certified ASL interpreter. As a self advocate and advocate for others in the disability community, Danielle is thrilled to be a part of the Sound Theatre Company.

Kooper Campbell
Individual & Corporate Giving Officer

Kooper Campbell (he/him) is a performing artist based in Seattle. He graduated with a B.F.A in Music Dance Theatre from BYU and holds a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Southern Utah University. Kooper has performed professionally in Seattle at the 5th Avenue Theatre, the Village Theatre, Seattle Public Theatre, Cafe Nordo/Nebula, and Taproot Theatre. Kooper loves the transformative power of the performing arts and enjoys being on stage and behind-the-scenes creating art and entertainment. When not performing he loves to spend time with his spouse watching scary movies and cuddling with their two cats, Toodles and Snufkin.

Pilar O’Connell
Marketing and Communications Manager

Pilar (they/them) is a Latinx multidisciplinary theatre practitioner from Santa Fe, New Mexico. They graduated from Cornish College of the Arts. In Seattle they have performed with Strawberry Theatre Workshop, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Wooden O, The Icicle Creek New Play Festival, ActLAB, Ese Teatro, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, Annex Theatre, and many others. Pilar has worked in Arts Administration since 2018. They have cast for several local companies, and currently they work as the Artist Relations & Casting Coordinator at Seattle Shakespeare Company, as well as The Marketing & Communications Manager at Sound Theatre Company. When not in a theater, you may find them on their paddle board or snuggling their dog Shay.

Anahita Sepehri
Patron Services Associate

Anahita (she/her) is a talented artist who loves the power of theatre to change lives. She has worked on many important productions as an assistant director, assistant stage manager, and production assistant & front of house. Some of her notable projects include ” English” at Artswest, “My Name is Rachel Corrie” and “The Lower Depths” at Intiman, “The Tempest” and “Little Women” at Seattle Rep, “The Comedy of Errors”, “Henry IV” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Seattle Shakespeare Company, and Village Theatre’s “Hello, Dolly!” and “Sense and Sensibility.” She has also been part of impactful works like “The Forgotten History of Mastaneh” at SPT and “Not Our Town” at Pony World Theatre. In both serious and fun stories, such as “None Sense and Beauty” and “OR” at Theatre 22, Anahita shows her passion for sharing diverse experiences. She is excited to start her journey with Sound Theatre as a Patron Services Associate. Anahita strongly believes that theatre is like a mirror, helping us see, question, and understand the truths that connect us all.

Zharia O’Neal
William S. Yellow Robe Playwright Resident 

Zharia O’Neal (she/her/hers) is a poet, playwright, and multi-medium storyteller hailing from the British Virgin Islands. Her work, self-baptized B/black comedy, tends to explore chosen / unchosen families, the queerness of liminal space and memory, and has been recognized and commissioned by HUMANITAS. O’Neal is an International Artists’ Fellow and 2022 graduate of the MFA program in Dramatic Writing at the University of Southern California. She has worked in association with the Ojai Playwrights’ Conference, RealTime Productions, Playwrights’ Arena, City Hearts, and P.S. Arts. Her works include: the blood of a hibiscus, Seven Stage Circle (Pasadena Playhouse Reading 2022), and poetry collection rottincrop.

Andrea Kovich – Board President

Andrea is an Accessibility Consultant at Studio Pacifica. She’s also a freelance dramaturg and has collaborated with many local theatre artists and organizations. She joined the Sound Theatre board in 2019, where she serves on the Governance committee. Andrea self-identifies as a Disabled artist and is passionate about social justice issues and the representation of the disability community in theatre.

Lucas Fletcher – Treasurer

Lucas is a native Pacific Northwesterner and is passionate about low-income housing and social justice, including in his work as a Senior Budget Analyst at Seattle Housing Authority. He is a fan of local theater, music, and the opera. Inspired by the power of the stage to evoke compassion and empathy in an audience, and the urgent need for the kind of work for which Sound Theatre is known, he joined the board in 2019 to further Sound Theatre’s mission. He currently serves as Sound Theatre’s Treasurer.

Rebecca Alhadeff – Secretary

Rebecca manages the graduate programs in International Studies at the University of Washington. She is a proud Seattleite who is passionate about cross-cultural communication and international education. Rebecca joined the board in 2019 as a way to blend her international work with issues of diversity, justice and power in her own community.

Stan Friedlander

Stan is a Pacific Northwest native who is a self-employed eCommerce consultant after working at Amazon and The Bon Marché/Macy’s for over a decade each. He joined the Sound Theatre board in spring of 2020. Stan is passionate about local community projects and is especially proud to support Sound Theatre’s mission to promote diversity of opinion and social justice.

Alysha Curry

Alysha Curry is an Executive Assistant at Moss Adams, a public accounting firm. In addition, she is an actor and devoted theatre-goer. She has performed with Sound in You Can’t Take It With You (2018) and The School for Lies (2014). Alysha joined the board in 2020 with her spouse, and is drawn to Sound Theatre as an organization that supports its mission with action and commitment.

Kara Brown

Kara Brown is a Payroll Specialist at RUN Studios, a video production company. Kara is an actor and avid runner who enjoys running all over the city. She performed with Sound Theatre in You Can’t Take It With You (2018) with wife, Alysha. Joining the board in 2020, Kara is passionate about representation and is eager to collaborate with Sound and their vision for the future of theatre.

Brandon JonesMooney

Brandon JonesMooney is multi hyphenated artist from Oakland,CA. He’s a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory Of Performing Arts and Cornish College of the Arts. He’s also a founding member of the Young Hot Thespian art collective. “Young Hot Thespian Is The Regime, The Takeover Is Now.”

Ana María Campoy – Co-Vice President

Ana María Campoy is a Mexican-American theatre artist, educator, and advocate. She moved to Seattle in fall 2010 to participate in Seattle Repertory Theatre’s Professional Arts Training Program and was part of TAT Lab’s inaugural class in 2011-2012. In addition to Seattle Rep, she has taught for the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Arts Impact, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Children’s Theatre, and Village Theatre. For the last five years, she has worked as an arts teaching mentor in Arts Impact’s Voices from the Fields program; working with public schools in migrant districts throughout Washington state. As an actor, director, adaptor, or dramaturg, she has worked for OSF, Seattle Children’s Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Washington Ensemble Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, and Pork Filled Productions. One of her most cherished acting roles includes Catherine in a bilingual adaptation of David Auburn’s Proof, which she also produced and translated alongside director Arlene Martínez-Vásquez, and is now under consideration for publication. She has toured nationally in Living Voices’s solo show, La Causa. She’s developed multiple bilingual scripts for Seattle Shakespeare’s Touring Productions such as: The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, Macbeth, and Hamlet, the latter two she also directed. Her fifth adaptation with Seattle Shakespeare Company, Romeo y Julieta, shall be premiering this spring. She currently serves as one of five Associate Artists with ArtsWest Theatre for their 2021-2022 Season and was recently named as Associate Artist for Seattle Shakespeare Company. She is a passionate and proud advocate of the performing arts, believing that performance provides communities a voice and individuals self-exploration. At the center of her work lives the driving desire to create opportunities for artists of color, to remove economic and geographical barriers for audiences and students, and to expand and deepen our American identity. In addition to her work within the arts, she founded and now runs the volunteer collective, WashMasks Mutual Aid to provide PPE, support, and advocacy for migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families during this current pandemic (www.washmasks.org; @washmasks on Instagram).

Sydney Maltese

Sydney Maltese (she/her) is a Seattle theater artist and writer with roots in Ohio and deeper roots at the intersection of disability justice and art. She’s performed with Sound Theatre Company, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, eSe Teatro, Parley Productions, Macha Theatre Works, Off Road Shakespeare, and ACT Lab, among others, and is honored to be part of the Seattle theater community and part of the ever-ongoing work for equity and inclusion in artistic spaces, particularly in arts leadership. Sydney is also a legal advocate at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, where she works in immigration and civil rights law. 

Parmida Ziaei

Parmida Ziaei is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist based in Seattle. Parmida’s work is often a combination of her dual identities as an Iranian immigrant, and is informed by her background in architecture and theatre. As a designer, Parmida has designed various interior, architectural, immersive and entertainment spaces. She has been a scenic and production designer with many Seattle theatres including Sound Theatre, Village Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle Public Theatre, ArtsWest and more. As a performer, Parmida often brings together her background in various dance styles including Classical Persian dance and contemporary movement to create a unique movement style that is a representation of her merging identities. In her teaching and choreography work, she is interested in exploring how each person’s body embodies movement informed by their experiences to tell a story and express emotions. Parmida recently performed her original solo show, Dancing beyond the Veil, as part of Macha Theatre’s 17 minute stories. Parmida is the co-founder of Seda Iranian Theatre Ensemble and was the recipient of the Northwest Creator Residency at Village Theatre in 2022.

Mario Gomez – Co-Vice President

Mario Gomez (he/him) is a multi-hyphenated theater artist, advocate, and non-profit leader currently based in New England. Mario has worked in over 260 theatrical productions in the Greater Seattle Area, New England, Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Mario’s work focuses on supporting artists and organizations that serve, center, and are led by historically oppressed communities, including many BIPOC and Disability communities. Mario has led workshops on accessibility and neurodiversity for the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts, the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and Brown University. Mario has also been a panelist and mentor for programs organized by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and the Kennedy’s Center Office of Accessibility and VSA. In 2022 Mario was the Keynote Speaker for Design, Technology, and Management at the 54th American College Theatre Festival (Region 1).