Jerome Ellis (Composer/Performer) Jerome Ellis is a dysfluent composer, performer, and writer living in New York City. His recent work investigates time, silence, and disability in the Black Atlantic. He’s a 2019 MacDowell Colony Fellow, a 2015 Fulbright Fellow, and a writer in residence at Lincoln Center Theater. Recent: Passage (Soho Repertory Theatre), Lab Rat by A$AP Rocky (Sotheby’s / YouTube), and High Winds (NYTW Next Door / Abrons Arts Center). Upcoming: Help by Claudia Rankine (The Shed) and, with the TEAM, Reconstruction (Still Working But The Devil Might Be Inside). Together with childhood friend James Harrison Monaco, he forms one half of the musician-storyteller duo James & Jerome. Their works have been directed by Rachel Chavkin, Annie Tippe, and Andrew Scoville. Recent James & Jerome projects include: Piano Tales (MASS MoCA, La MaMa, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Education, etc.), Ink (Williams College Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brick,etc.), Aaron/Marie (Under The Radar Festival, Ars Nova), and They Ran and Ran and Ran (HERE Arts). James & Jerome were members of the Public Theater's inaugural Devised Theater Working Group and are currently developing a commission for Ars Nova. Mr. Ellis is also a piano technician and teacher, as well as a translator of Portuguese. jeromeellis.com

James Harrison Monaco (Writer/Performer) James Harrison Monaco is a storyteller, writer, and musician. He is one half of the music-storytelling duo James & Jerome (jamesandjerome.org). His shows are frequently directed by Rachel Chavkin, Andrew Scoville, and Annie Tippe. Recent James & Jerome projects include: Ink (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Under The Radar Festival), Piano Tales (Lincoln Center, MASS MoCA, La MaMa, etc.), Aaron/Marie (Under The Radar Festival, Ars Nova), and They Ran and Ran and Ran (HERE Arts). Others of his storytelling projects include Tales for Telling (Ars Nova) and Reception (HERE Arts, The New Ohio). He is collaborating as a writer, composer (along with Jerome), and performer on the new project by The TEAM, Reconstruction (Still Working But The Devil Might Be Inside). He is a New Writer in Residence at Lincoln Center Theater, and he has received residencies with The Public Theater, The Sundance Institute, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, New York Theatre Workshop, Ars Nova, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, among others. He is also a professional translator of Spanish and Italian.

Annie Tippe (Director) Annie Tippe is a director and creator of new work, film and music theater. The Conversationalists is one of many collaborations with James & Jerome over the last ten years, which also includes Ink (w. Rachel Chavkin, Under the Radar/Met Museum) and Aaron/Marie (w. Rachel Chavkin, Under The Radar, Ars Nova). Recent: Dave Malloy's Octet (Signature Theatre; NYT Critics Pick) and Ghost Quartet (The Bushwick Starr, etc...NYT Critic’s Pick), Leslye Headland's Cult of Love (IAMA Theatre Company), Bess Wohl's Continuity (Goodman Theatre), Cowboy Bob (New York Stage + Film; Village Theatre, Seattle), Bonnie’s Last Flight (NYTW) and I Heard Sex Noises (Ars Nova). Annie is the co-creator and director of the web series “Basic Witch” (Amazon). She was named one of two finalists for this year’s SDC Callaway Award for her work on Octet. Former Ars Nova Director-in-Residence, Drama League Directing Fellow, Williamstown Directing Corps. Upcoming: Tony Meneses' The Hombres (Two River). www.annietippe.com

John Murchison (Orchestrator/Performer) John Murchison is a Brooklyn-based bassist and multi-instrumentalist. He is active in many of the various music scenes of NYC, from pop and musical theater, to jazz and avant-garde, to traditional musics from Africa and the Middle East. John is one of the most in-demand bassist for traditional Arabic music in the United States. While bass is his primary instrument, he also performs regularly on the qanun, bendir, gimbri, and ney. He has performed in a variety of theater productions from downtown to Time Square, including the Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812. He has performed around NYC and in Puerto Rico as bassist with folkloric dance ensemble Danza Fiesta. He has also performed with popular artists from West Africa such as Fode Kouyate and Sekouba Kandia, Famoro Dioubate and Missia Saran Dioubate. He is cofounder of Brooklyn Maqam, an organization dedicated to presenting and promoting Arabic music in New York City.

Michelle J. Rodriguez (Orchestrator/Performer) Michelle J. Rodriguez is a vocalist, songwriter, musical theater composer and actor. Born in Orlando, Florida to Puerto Rican parents and raised in Kirkland, Washington and Lexington, Kentucky, Ms. Rodriguez sings and writes songs that shake your heart and remind you of home in all its forms. With a voice that is “clear and compelling” and a sound that features “flourishes of bolero, bossa nova and even jazz” (Chicago Tribune), Ms. Rodriguez captivates as a performer at venues like Joe's Pub (NYC), Ars Nova (NYC), The Hideout (Chicago) and Steppenwolf (Chicago), with her stunning vocals and vulnerability onstage. Ms. Rodriguez made her Joe's Pub début at the Public Theater in November of 2017 after a sold-out performance of her original musical, East o', West o'! at ANT Fest at Ars Nova in June of 2017, which earned her a mention in The New Yorker. Beloved by NPR’s All Songs Considered team, her music project MICHA became a finalist for NPR’s 2018 Tiny Desk Contest with her song “Nena Nena Nena,” praised for a “bilingual set spanned laid-back southern soul and Latin pop flare” (NPR). She has received support from Ars Nova, New York Theater Workshop, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts and the University of Chicago. Musicals include East o’, West o’! (Ars Nova/ANT Fest), and works in development Jiran, Bibliophile, and Rokera. Ms. Rodriguez recently made her Public Theater début composing the music for The Mobile Unit’s production of The Tempest directed by Laurie Woolery, and she is currently under commission by the Public Theater for a new musical for their Mobile Unit program. BA: Williams College. www.michamusica.com

Delaney Stockli (Orchestrator/Performer) Delananey Stockli is a Lebanese-Swiss-German freelance performer and creator who grew up in Cairo, Egypt, lived in Athens, Greece and is based in Brooklyn, NY. Though her primary musical education began in Western classical violin, her interests in various cultures, languages and disciplines have led her to a wide range of fields of personal and collaborative work. Delaney holds a Master’s degree in Music Technology from NYU. She regularly performs and records as a violinist with various groups and individuals in genres from various jazz and chamber classical fusion work to singer- songwriter projects, Arabic electro rock and international pop at studios and venues across the USA, Europe and the Middle East. She has written music for dance and is the co-founder and of O Kwarteto, a group dedicated to the arrangement and performance of Brazilian popular music for string quartet. Delaney recently released her first single, “Enchantment”, as a singer-songwriter. 

Salma S. Zohdi (Dramaturg) Salma Zohdi is an Egyptian Dramaturg based in New York City and a recipient of two international fellowships from the American Association for University Women (AAUW). In Egypt, Salma was Alumni Community Theatre’s (ACT, Egypt) PR & Marketing Manager, where she also worked as a producer, teaching artist, stage manager, and assistant director. She was also an assistant director in the feature film Al Kobar (tr. The Bigshots). Highlights from her stage work in Egypt include: The Marriage Proposal, Jack OR The Submission, The Dinosaur Play, ART, and El Gaw Gameel (tr. The Weather is Nice). Since relocating to the US, Salma’s theatre credits include: Nathan the Wise (CSC), The Mecca Tales (Voyage Theater Company—The Sheen Center), MESTC’s “ARAB CLASSIC PLAYS” and "RE-READING OPPRESSION", The Yacoubian Building (LPAC’s Rough Draft and Atlantic Theatre Company’s Middle Eastern MixFest), A Hyacinth in the Mountains (14th Street Y), Operating Systems (Flux Theatre Ensemble—Abrons Arts Center), and Mix & Match (En Garde Arts).  MA: AUC - English & Comparative Literature. MFA: Columbia University - Theatre (Dramaturgy)

Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (Lighting Design) Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew designs for theatre, dance, opera, musicals, music performances and immersive installation. NY Times described them as “clever” and “inventive.” She is happy to return to the Starr since Suicide Forest and excited to collaborate with James & Jerome and Annie Tippe again since Ink.  Recent: KPOP (Hewes Design Award, LIT Design Award; Lortel and Drama Desk Nominations); Emily Mann’s Gloria: A Life with Diana Paulus (Daryl Roth Theater), Aziza Barnes’ BLKS (Woolly Mammoth); Lauren Yee’s Song of Summer (Trinity Rep); Mysterium Novu, with The Nouveau Classical Project; Tan Dun’s Water Passion, and Sam Falls’ September Spring. She also designed Nevermore Park, an immersive art experience powered by the imagination of visual artist Hebru Brantley currently showing in Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. jeanetteyew.com 

Diggle (Set Designer) NYC: So Long Boulder City, Decky Does A Bronco, Red Emma & The Mad Monk (also ANT Fest), Molly Murphy & Neil DeGrasse Tyson On Our Last Day On Earth (ANT Fest), Drama League’s Director Fest 2019, Everybody (Sarah Lawrence College); Regional & International credits: Electra, Fade (Dallas Theater Center); 10 Out Of 12 (Undermain Theatre); Why Do You Stand There In The Rain? (Edinburgh Fringe, Scotland Tour); Martyr, The Necessities (Second Thought Theatre); Current Projects: Galveston (collaboration with Molly Beach Murphy & Drama League), Spell No. 7 (The New School). Diggle is currently the Associate Set Designer to Clint Ramos and has also worked as an Associate Set Designer for David Korins. Broadway Associate Set Design credits include Slave Play and Grand Horizons. Various Off-Broadway & Regional Associate Set Design credits include productions at The Public Theatre, The Alley, MCC, NYTW, Steppenwolf, Berkeley Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, & Williamstown Theatre Festival. Education: MFA Stage Design (SMU); BA Theatre Arts (Pepperdine University) Web: diggledesigns.com IG: @diggle_designs

Lawrence Schober (Sound Designer) Lawrence Schober is a sound designer based in New York. Past credits include American Morning with Prospect Theater Company; On This Side of the World at Access Theater; Eh Da? at New York Theater Workshop Next Door; Tommy’s Girls at Walker Space/Primary Stages MFA, Ain’t No Mo at the Public Theater (associate); Jomama Jones’ Black Light at the Barrow Street Theater (associate); and SeaWall / A Life at the Public Theater (associate). http://www.lawrenceschober.com

Caroline M. Trewet (Video Designer) Caroline M. Trewet is a Brooklyn based creator and is thrilled to be collaborating on The Conversationalists. Her recent credits include Media Design: Monica: This Play is Not About Monica Lewinsky (Edinburgh Fringe), Queen of the Mold (Animation), SWEAT (Assistant, Dallas Theatre Center), INK (Associate, The MET), Ferguson (Urban Stages), Rocky Mountain (Media Director, Estes Park, CO). She is a frequent lighting and video collaborator at the TED World Theatre, and assistant at upLIGHT design. She also regularly performs and writes new works for Salon29. A proud alumna of Northwestern College (‘17) and the Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas(‘16), Trewet is an improv artist, connoisseur of the s'more worthy bonfire, and aspires to one day be a ‘hat person.' She is also currently looking for your best audiobook recommendations: @caroliontrewth

Taylor Edelle Stuart (Associate Video Designer) Taylor Edelle Stuart is a New York based filmmaker and theatre artist. Her work explores the ways live performance, motion picture, and digital technology may converge and coalesce. Recent projection and video design credits include: Friendly's Fire (The 14th St. Y), The Talmud (Associate - Target Margin Theatre), In the Blood (Lenfest Center for the Arts), Where Do We Live? (Lenfest Center for the Arts), The Trade Federation... (IRT), From the Earth to the Moon (The Chain), Mumburger (Carnegie Stage), Parlor Tricks (Wild Project), and Happy Happy Happy Happy (The Tank). Earlier this year, Taylor shot, directed, edited and installed video for a piece called Crushing Baby Animals, a gallery installation and performance art piece developed with The Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City Artists, and Dirt [Contained] Theatre Company. Taylor is the lead video projection moderator for the TED Talks TED world theatre, she was a former Bernard B. Jacobs intern at New Dramatists, and was a 2018 Sundance | Youtube New Voices Lab Finalist.

Christina Tang (Master Electrician and Assistant Lighting Designer) Christina Tang is a lighting designer based in NYC. Select recent credits: CIRCLE (PSNY), (Untitled): The Black Act (PSNY), The Happy Garden of Life (New Ohio), Madame Lynch (The Drunkard's Wife). She is the resident technical director of the Corkscrew Theater Festival. christinaftang.com

Kelly Kirby (Production Stage Manager) Kelly Kirby is a recent college grad and is very excited to be working on this production! Credits include workshops of India Pale Ale, Little Orphan Danny, and Band-Aid (New York Stage and Film). F**king A (Signature Theatre). Nixon in China (The Princeton Festival), Words Like Fresh Skin, Machinal, and The Rimers of Eldritch (Adelphi University). Adelphi University.

Keenan Hurley (A1) Keenan Hurley writes words and makes sound for theater. He is a current member of Soho Rep's 2019-2021 Writer / Director Lab with director Kedian Keohan where they have been developing their piece BLUSH. His work includes his solo piece The Man Who Built His House to Heaven (Edinburgh Fringe, 59E59), as well as collaborations with Kedian on DAD DANCE (FEAST, The Playwriting Collective) and with Peter McNally on an adaptation of The Power Broker (Magic Time @ Judson Church). As a sound designer, he has worked for artists such as Sibyl Kempson, Erin Markey, Javier Antonio Gonzalez, Dawn Akemi Saito, Niegel Smith, and Kristan Seemel at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kitchen, The Bushwick Starr, The Flea, and in Cuba.

Emma Johnson (Production Manager) Emma Johnson is a Brooklyn-based stage and production manager, specializing in reinterpretations of classical texts and the creation of new works in collaborative, devised settings. After proudly attending SUNY Oswego in upstate New York, Emma pursued stage management with The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Public Theater, Target Margin Theater, Superhero Clubhouse, and others, after which she transitioned into production management. Before joining The Bushwick Starr, Emma completed the 2050 Administrative Fellowship at New York Theatre Workshop as a member of the inaugural 2017-18 class, and has continued to pursue the values instilled in the 2050 Fellowship in her own work - telling the stories of underrepresented and dismissed communities, and lifting up artists who chase those stories. She is also a photographer and writer with a seasonal green thumb, and the master chef of her tiny kitchen. 

Jay Maury (Technical Director) Jay Maury is a sound, lighting, video, and scenery designer & TD working out of Brooklyn. He is a designer and Technical Director at The Bushwick Starr. Recent design credits include Superhero Clubhouse’s Jupiter (Solar Lighting Design) and Pluto, Saratoga Opera (Sound Design, Lighting Design), BAWeaselOAPOYOB (Lighting Design) at Jack, Yackez (Video Design), and BWS annual puppet festival (Lights & Media).

Eleanor Regan (Producer) Eleanor Regan is a Brooklyn-based producer. Recent projects include Antigravity Theater Project's Dear Diary LOL (dir. Francesca Montanile) in the Ice Factory Festival at the New Ohio; the immersive exhibit Edward Albee at Sotheby's (dir. Emily Maltby); Little Murders (dir. Shira Milikowsky) at an abandoned burger joint in Brooklyn; Dan Giles' How You Kiss Me Is Not How I Like To Be Kissed in the New York Fringe Festival (dir. Dan Giles); and Waking the Monster, a percussion performance inside of the Green Monster at Fenway Park as part of Illuminus Boston. She currently works at Second Stage Theater and has previously worked at the American Repertory Theater, Studio Theater, Urbanity Dance, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Gate Theater in London, and the Kunsthalle Basel.