Chef Collaborators
Joseph (JD) Anderson
he/him
Hot Dog Mechanical — Costume Designer
Just do it. If you’re scared, then do it scared.
JD is from the island of Guam and is currently in Las Vegas attending University of Nevada Las Vegas to pursue his master’s degree in costume design. He graduates in Spring of 2026. Recent credits include: Nevada Conservatory Theatre costume design for American La Ronde and costume and makeup design for Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, and The Seance Room for UNLV. In July 2024 he graduated from the L Makeup Institute as a makeup artist, hair stylist, and body painter and is a licensed freelance makeup artist while completing his degree at UNLV.
JD is a Puka Dog originating from the Pacific Islands, and can be enjoyed with condiments and toppings, or even by itself—always satisfying.
JoAnn Birt
she/her
She She — Actor / TSATHD Author
Dreamers navigate in moonlight, punished with the first view of the dawn.
JoAnn is an actress, singer, songwriter and newly devised theatre enthusiast! Coming from an Irish family, JoAnn spent her formative years in Chicago, Illinois. With over 20 years or performance experience, and a BFA in Acting from The University of Illinois, Chicago, JoAnn has dedicated her life to exploring exactly what it means to be human through art. JoAnn is interested in the emotional memory that binds us and crosses and intersects us all through various time periods, cultures, and professions. She hopes to continue to create and tell stories that shift the collective and create a better and more empathetic world. Some of her notable work includes a guest star role on NBC’s Chicago P.D as well as a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of MaryAnne in When We Were Young and Unafraid. She is completing her MFA in Performance at UNLV.
JoAnn is a Chicago style dog, lots of sport peppers, onions, pickles and mustard and absolutely NO ketchup—all spice, bite and bold flavor, and most importantly enjoyed with an ice-cold beer.
Kirsten Brandt
she/her
CFACoLab Co-Director — Producer / TSATHD Author
Leap.
Kirsten Brandt is the Chair of the Department of Theatre at UNLV and the Executive Director of Nevada Conservatory Theatre. She served as Executive Artistic Director of San Diego’s premiere alternative theatre, Sledgehammer Theatre for seven years. She was the Associate Artistic Director of San Jose Repertory Theatre. A professional (SDC) director, she has directed across the United States and internationally. As a playwright, her work includes The Frankenstein Project, Berzerkergäng, CODED, Grendel’s Mother, an adaption of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and book and lyrics for the musical The Snow Queen (international productions). She is on the Board of the National Theatre Conference. She is a Consent-Forward Artist (IDC), a Public Voices Fellow with the Op-Ed Project, and an Extramural Affiliate at The Center for Monster Studies.
Kirsten is a classic chili dog—super spicy, lots of cheese, and a glorious mess.
Ly Huynh
she/they/he
Hot Dog Mechanical — Production, Design
To create is to transcend one’s own life.
Ly Huynh is a dual major Landscape Architecture & Urban Studies student at UNLV. Their designs merge artistic expression with regenerative, ecosystem-led designs that enhance the landscape and improve human welfare. Ly’s works create a universal design that fosters a symbiosis between non-human and human organisms for a harmonious ecosystem. She also engages in other creative mediums such as acrylic paint, guitar, dance, and voice. After graduation they plan on getting a Masters in Urban Planning to create equitable, sustainable forms of urban living.
Ly is a classic, soggy corn dog that you decided to eat at 1 in the morning because you were too lazy to fry it and you only have ketchup on the side—a 10/10 meal for a 10/10 night of gaming and binge watching your favorite show.
Michael Jarett
he/him
Lighting Design — Production, Design
Lighting reveals all.
Michael Jarett is an Associate Professor/Design Specialist for the UNLV Department of Dance and is also a freelance lighting designer/production manager. His designs have been seen in New York (including the Joyce Theater), across the United States, and internationally in Scotland, Canada, and Bulgaria. He has received three Richmond Theater Critics Circles Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design, a Cleveland BroadwayWorld Award for Best Lighting, and the 2021 UNLV Charles Vanda Award for Excellence in the Arts. He received his MFA from Brandeis University and tours as the Technical Director/Lighting Designer for renowned Los Angeles-based dance company BODYTRAFFIC. www.michaeljarett.com
Mike is a classic hot dog topped with equal parts mustard (light) and ketchup (shadow).
Kayne Johnson
he/him
Musician, Composer
Art makes the world ours.
Kayne is a multi-stylistic guitarist and composer from Las Vegas. He began playing guitar at the age of 10, and has enjoyed exploring every avenue of music. Currently, he is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Jazz and Commercial Music Composition at the UNLV School of Music, continuing to paint the sounds in his head using the guitar as his brush.
Kayne is a classic breakfast sausage—grilled in a skillet, soaked in runoff syrup and butter and served alongside scrambled eggs—a satisfyingly sweet and savory taste whether served early in the morning or late into the evening.
Louis Kavouras
he/him/hot dog
CFACoLab Co-Director — Producer / TSATHD Author
The arts are his playground.
Louis Kavouras knits and crochets, so we have lots of Amigurumi puppets. He is the Chair of the Dance Department at UNLV, Distinguished Professor of Dance, Professor of Aesthetic Philosophy, and creator and coordinator of the CFACoLab. A professional dancer, longstanding company member of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, and curator and published scholar of the work of Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski. In 1997, he was recognized by Francis Mason of WQXR as one of the Top 10 Dancers in NYC. Kavouras has created a large body of choreographed works that range from classic modern dance to devised theatre. His works have been presented across the United States as well as numerous international venues. His show, Is it Art? was recognized with a five-star review by The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh, Scotland, and his collaborative show Timelapse was hailed by the New York Times in the What’s Happening Today column. He has taken six shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe—four have received five-star reviews. Louis navigates all of the arts in his practice and mostly enjoys the ontological intersections and collisions between aesthetic genres and forms—a pencil, choreographed phrase, written scene, or puppet can be a powerful tool.
Louis is a bold and robust, all beef hot dog—lots of mustard for spice and relish that makes him sweet—a classic, yet something about it says it’s an entirely unique dish to be savored.
Lauren Kochheim
she/her
Hot Dog Player — Dancer / Production, Design
Art is what makes us human.
Lauren Kochheim is currently majoring in Dance Performance & Choreography and Dance Production & Management at UNLV. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in the live entertainment industry as part of the production team.
Lauren is that pack of frozen hot dogs in the back of your freezer—a hot dog you defrost and enjoy however you like when you can’t think of anything else to eat.
Moira Kowalski
they/them
Stage Manager
There is art all around us, just look for it.
Moira received their BFA in Stage Management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Recent credits include: Nevada Conservatory Theatre Production Stage Manager for Wolf Play and Stage Manager for A Skeptic and Bruja. They also worked as the Stage Manager for CFACoLab on That Show about the Hot Dog. Notable credits at UW-Whitewater include She Kills Monsters (SM), Pirates of Penzance (SM).
Moira is pigs in a blanket—a reliable crowd pleaser.
Kayla Lockwood
she/her
Hot Dog Mechanical — Visual Art, Website, Graphic Design
Art reveals the tension between care and labor.
Kayla Lockwood (b. Anaheim, California) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work investigates memory, domesticity, and the instability of the “American Dream.” Blending new media—video, coding—with traditional craft—textiles, ceramics, film, and sculpture—she transforms familiar objects to expose the tensions between nostalgia and fractured truth. Her installations confront postwar ideals, gendered labor, and capitalist promises of permanence. Lockwood holds a BFA in Art & Technology from the University of Oregon and is completing her MFA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She also creates under multiple personas and fosters collaborative art communities that challenge cultural myths of home and belonging.
Kayla is an LA Danger Dog—straight from SoCal’s late-night streets, wrapped in bacon for boldness, piled with sizzling onions and peppers for extra heat, and slathered in mustard, ketchup, and mayo because she’s equal parts sharp, sweet, and unapologetically over the top.
Ryoko Natt
she/her
Hot Dog Player — Dancer, Choreography
Embracing life through dance.
Ryoko Natt is currently a BFA dance and BA psychology major at UNLV. Her repertoire includes classic ballets such Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, in addition to RRegh by Sai Bhatawadekar which was nationally selected for the American College Dance Association’s Gala Concert 2022. Through her experiences in the hospitality industry and working at the Ritz Carlton, Ryoko hopes to connect her work experience with dance in being able to demonstrate the capabilities and diversity of human empathy through interpersonal and intra-personal relationships. She aspires to provide a diverse experience to the audience as a multicultural, person of color who embraces and loves to learn about other cultures around the world.
Ryoko is a Kurobuta sausage also know as the Berkshire pork—despite small appearances, there is more than “meats” the eye—transforming into an octodog and able to adapt to all kinds of flavors.
Jordyn Reeves
she/her
Hot Dog Player — Dancer, Choreography / Production, Design
Dance lets the heart speak.
Jordyn Reeves is a bachelor of fine arts student at UNLV, currently double majoring in both Dance Performance and Choreography and Dance Production and Management. She started dance at the age of 4, training in every genre (including aerial silks and ballroom). Her professional career started as an assistant for LADM’s traveling dance convention/competition. Recently she has taken a liking to “behind-the-scenes”, working crew in BODYTRAFFIC’s Las Vegas show. She aspires to dance and create forever.
Jordyn is a simple wiener with a twist—a plain dog on a pretzel bun, salty, savory, and sure to make a mark.
David Shouse
he/him
Technical Director — Production, Design
Creativity is contagious, pass it on.
David Shouse is an Assistant Professor of Technical Direction for the UNLV Department of Theatre. He received his MFA from the University of Memphis; highlights of his 20 year entertainment industry career include: Santa Fe Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Pittsburgh Opera, Teatro Zinzanni and Cirque du Soleil. His fabrication work outside of theatre and opera spans from public sculpture (Thomas Sayre, Koryn Rolstad) to film (Scroggins Aviation Effects) and mechanical (Hyperloop One).
David keeps his hot dogs simple: smoked venison with onion batonnet, julienned carrots topped with a jalapeño-lime aioli served on a spit braised brioche bun…or just cold straight from the package.
Andrew Mikhael Caleb Treviño
he/him
Wee Weenie Wiener — Actor / TSATHD Author
Big heart and passion for the unseen—tenacity, soul, drive.
From Fresno, CA. Andrew Mikhael Caleb Treviño comes from humble beginnings and has big dreams for his future. He is passionate about his culture and telling new stories of voices we don’t hear from. Andrew is studying his MFA in performance acting and dreams to use all his talents to pave the way for new work and breaking the mold of traditional theatre.
Andrew is a Chicano Aztec Dog—bacon-wrapped with chipotle mayo, ketchup, mustard, guac, grilled onion, and jalapeños.
Becca Trujillo
she/her
Hot Dog Player — Dancer, Choreography / Production, Design
Movement speaks when words cannot.
Becca Trujillo is an Bachelor of Fine Arts major at UNLV double majoring in Performance & Choreography and Dance Production & Management. With a background in performance and instruction, she is hopes to pursue a career in the entertainment industry of Las Vegas as a dancer and stage manager.
Becca is a microwaved cheesy dog no bun, no condiments necessary, undoubtedly unique.
Virgil Williams
he/him
Hot Dog Mechanical — Production, Design
Like the Person, Art needs no justification to exist.
Virgil’s work blurs the oft-considered-definitive line between the arts and engineering. As a dual major in Entertainment Engineering & Design and Mechanical Engineering at UNLV, he continues to tailor his education to bolster his knowledge of and proficiency with innovative techniques and technologies that boast promising applications for the live entertainment industry. A diverse course load and motley array of practical experience consisting of design, theory, fabrication, and artistic elements allow him to apply theoretical, practical, experimental, and aesthetic techniques to his designs across assorted virtual and physical media.
Virgil is a Smokey Dog: scored on the outside, coated with a BBQ dry rub, and served with mustard on a brioche bun, the charring heat only infuse the hardwood-smoked blend of bitter, sweet, and savory.
Max Zeitlin
he/him
Musician, Composer
Art and music make life worth living!
Max has been playing piano since the age of seven. He is set to graduate with his Bachelors of Arts focused on jazz and commercial music performance. Max has played for various shows, bands, and other performance opportunities including Summerfest in Milwaukee. Once finished with his studies, Max plans to continue his education with a Masters degree in music.
Max is an all beef hot dog, grilled to perfection, with gooey Wisconsin cheese curds on top—add a soft brioche bun and some cheese sauce to complete the Midwest flair.
Michele Anderson
she/her
Video Creator
If I create from the heart, nearly everything works, if from the head, almost nothing.
MFA in Theatre Design/Technology at UNLV and checking off a Cirque du Soleil bucket list with production roles on O, Love, and Le Rêve. She’s designed over 100 productions, from theatre to corporate spectacle, and produced everything from casino galas to high-end conferences. Assistant Professor and Design Specialist for UNLV Dance, she enjoys bringing her big-show experience and collaborative energy to every class and design.
Michele’s a MacGyver hotdog—If it’s a project or a snack table, she’s always ready to improvise with creative grit.
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