“Book of Days” Bios and Headshots
Jennifer Vellenga (Director) Jennifer’s research and professional work centers on directing and developing new plays with living playwrights, most notably directing Chantal Bilodeau’s plays on climate change as part of The Arctic Cycle. A decade of collaboration has led to development and publication of Bilodeau’s plays Forward and No More Harveys with research conducted at Soria Laboratoria, Oslo, Norway; Hålogaland Teater, Tromsø, Norway; Women of the Arctic conference, Helsinki, Finland; The Brick Theatre, Brooklyn; and Akavit Theatre, Chicago. Collaborations with playwright and Fulbright scholar Lachlan Philpott led to research and development of his play Bustown at American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco and at Hothouse Theatre, Albury-Wodonga, Australia. She directed the American premiere at Kansas State University. An associate director to Mark Lamos, Jennifer worked at Lincoln Center (Shakespeare’s Cymbeline), Guthrie Theater (Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra), Old Globe Theatre (Compleat Female Stage Beauty by Jeffrey Hatcher), and she transferred the co-production of The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewett from Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park to Dallas Theatre Center. Previous academic positions include Professor and Associate Director of the School of Music Theatre, and Dance at Kansas State University and Assistant Professor of Acting/Directing at the University of Miami. As the co-founder of Voice First World, a communication and coaching company, Jen served as the CEO from 2021-2025. She coached executives on storytelling and acting techniques to build their leadership and public speaking confidence. She is a member of Actors Equity Association (as Jennifer Guindon) and an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Patricia Amory (Dramaturg) is a sophomore majoring in drama at UNCG. This is their first involvement with a School of Theatre season show, and their first time doing dramaturgy work. Working on Book of Days has been a dream come true and will influence the rest of Patricia’s college research and experience. They would like to extend many thanks to Jennifer Vellenga, who was extremely gracious when Patricia asked to be a part of the Book of Days team. They would also like to thank their parents and sister, who have supported them no matter how much they talked about Book of Days over the past few months.
Hunter Austin (Lighting Designer) began his theater journey in a local K-12 youth theater. Hunter Austin hopes to draw on what he has learned and bring it to his design debut with UNCG’s production of Book of Days. With a belief that lighting is more than just something that helps the audience see the actors on stage, Hunter uses skills & techniques learned in UNCG’s Design and Technical Production course to punch up key moments, add flair to a scene, subtlety in mood lighting, and highlight the twists and turns as the characters and audience go about the show.
“With good lighting, a good show can be great. With great lighting, a good show can be Legendary” – Hunter Austin
Keagan Cook (Earl Hill) is a third-year BFA Acting Major from Asheville, North Carolina, with minors in Fashion, Dance, and Media Studies. He is beyond excited to be involved in Book of Days as Earl Hill, a crude man who’s willing to do anything to get to the top of the cheese game. Past credits include Laurant Tartuffe’s wicked little servant. He could also have been seen in Everybody as B, and later getting lost as Senses. And the very brave Caius Marcius in Rough Magic. He is so grateful for this opportunity and would like to thank all of his professors and friends, as well as the cast, for being such great people. You can often find Keagan doing activities like rating films on Letterboxd and listening and dancing to his favorite K-Pop groups, Newjeans! (Ditto!) IG- Keaguh Letterboxd- Keagi
Sophia Diaz (Sound Designer) is a third-year BFA Drama, Design, and Technical Production student at UNCG and has been working in and on theatre since her junior year of high school. This production is her second time sound designing at UNCG.
Travis Eason (Boyd) – Hello!!!! This is Travis Eason, he is a third year Acting major with a minor in dance and this will be his fourth stage production at UNCG. His previous credits include Carter in Reformed, 2nd Watchman in Much Ado About Nothing, Somebody/Skeleton in Everybody, and Mad Hatter in Red and Alice. He is so excited to be playing Boyd in Book of Days, as he experiences what it’s like to be a professional director. He has always wanted to be in a murder mystery, so he is thankful to Jennifer Vellenga for making one of his dreams come true. He would also like to thank God, his friends, and his family for their continuous support and guidance through this process. Come watch and be prepared to be on the edge of your seatttt!!!!
Ainsley Goodyear (Ruth Hoch) is a Raleigh-born actor currently based in Greensboro, where she is pursuing her BFA in Acting at UNCG. Go Spartans! She is currently a junior and this is her fourth production at UNCG. You may have seen her this summer as Brittney at Odyssey Stage’s At Birth or in Theatre in the Park’s production of Hamlet. If you like her work, feel free to keep up with her on Instagram or Facebook! Catch her later in the semester playing Shelby Holcomb in a student-led production of John Proctor is the Villain, April 10th-11th. She is so honored to be playing the part of Ruth Hoch (Hoch like coke!) in this production! (Also, she triple-dog-dares you to say her opening line three times fast, “I suppose it’s as good to start here as anywhere”, because it’s tripped her up too many times to count).
Peyton Hiller (Costume Designer) has worked on other productions at UNCG, such as Rough Magic as assistant costume designer, Side Show, and Carrie: The Musical. She is thrilled to work and collaborate alongside such a talented cast and crew. She would like to thank her family, friends, cat, and professors for the opportunities and support she has had during this process. Enjoy the show!
Langston Hopper (Sheriff Conroy Atkins) is a third-year BFA Acting Major at UNC Greensboro. It’s his first time playing a Sheriff and he’s excited for the opportunity. The cast and director have been amazing to work with. It’s his third production here at UNCG, and he’s excited for everyone to see him in a different kind of role!
Brianna Hucke (Martha Hock) is a senior BFA Acting major with a minor in dance. She is so excited to bring the character of Martha to life and feels incredibly bittersweet knowing this is her final mainstage production at UNC Greensboro. She is deeply grateful to end her time here with this amazing cast and crew. Previously, she has been seen on the UNCG stage as Linda Summers in Rough Magic, Flipote in Tartuffe, a zombie in Night of the Living Dead, Asha in Blood at the Root, and a chorus member in The Passion of Antígona Pérez, as well as Patty in the mainstage film production Uncharted Potential. She would like to thank all of the professors and students who have made the past four years at UNCG incredible, as well as her parents, grandparents, and all of her family and friends who have traveled to see the show. Lastly, she would like to thank her roommates, Lilah and Valentine, who make every day the best day of the year.
Grey Jonas (Assistant Stage Manager) is a second-year student, currently pursuing a BFA in Drama, Design, and Technical Production, concentrating in Stage Management. As well as a minor in New Media and Design. Their previous credits include Sideshow (Assistant Stage Manager), Sweeney Todd (Assistant Stage Manager), and Carrie (Light Board Operator). Grey would like to extend a big thanks to Zoë O’neal and Jennifer Vellenga for supporting them throughout this production process and extends gratitude to their friends and family for their endless support.
Caroline Ly (Sharon Bates) is a third-year BFA Acting major with minors in Dance and Consumer and Retail studies. She is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is super stoked to bring Sharon Bates to life. Her previous UNCG roles include Bốn & u/s Li in ReformED, Jordan in Campus Tales, and Guest Star #6 in Uncharted Potential. She would like to thank her family, friends, and mentors for their constant support– especially her parents for letting her pursue her dreams, and her sister for always keeping her humble.
Jenay Moncrieffe (Louann Bates) is delighted to be part of the debut of Book of Days. She is a Junior BFA Acting Major at UNCG who is fond of both theatre and film acting. Previous experience includes her role as Ama in School Girls at East Carolina University and contributes to short films, including Another Night and Malpractice. At UNCG, Jenay is excited to continue expanding and learning through the coursework, rehearsals, and guidance from her professors, peers, and mentors. Trained in voice, movement, and on-camera techniques, Jenay is prepared to use these skills as an eventual graduate and reflect them in her work ethic and future success. Jenay is passionate about living authentically, living in the moment, and performing as her heart desires to share the beautiful complexity life offers within this play with the talented cast at UNCG.
Zoë O’Neal (Production Stage Manager) is a second-year student pursuing a BFA in Design and Technical Production with a focus on Stage Management. Previous credits include Rough Magic (Assistant Stage Manager), Everybody (Assistant Stage Manager), and School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play (Sound Board Operator). Zoë would like to thank Jennifer Vellenga, Grey Jonas, and the fabulous cast and crew for making this such a memorable experience. As well as a special thank you to her mom for always believing in her work.
Valery Saenz Rodriguez (Ginger) is a first-year B.A. Drama Major who is so grateful to Jen Vallenga for trusting her during this artistic process in Book of Days. This will be her 1st show at UNCG, prior to this she had done mostly community theatre her most recent production being: Bye Bye Birdie. She wants to thank her teachers, her friends, and most importantly her family. She could not thank them enough for believing and supporting her 🙂 Follow her on IG: Valsrspam ! Enjoy the show 🙂
Jakeem Stewart (Walt Bates) is a first-year BA Drama student who is thrilled to be making his mainstage debut at UNCG. Last semester, he appeared in UNCG Theatrics’ production of Enter the Body. Jakeem would like to thank Jennifer Vellenga and the fantastic cast and crew of Book of Days. He also sends his deepest gratitude to his parents, siblings, and friends for their unwavering support. He hopes y’all enjoy the show and your trip to Dublin, Missouri! Instagram: @Chilljakeem.
Dylan Underwood (Reverend Bobby Groves) is a second-year BFA Acting student at UNCG. This is his third production at UNCG School of Theatre, as he previously appeared in Sweeney Todd and Side Show, but this is his first School of Theatre play! Over the summer, he worked at the Woodstock Playhouse, where he portrayed Doody in Grease and was in the ensemble of several other shows. He’d like to thank his family for their love and support, and he hopes you enjoy the show!
Benjamin Uwa (James Bates) is a First-Year B.F.A Acting major at UNCG and is stoked to be a part of the cast in Book of Days! He’s been doing theatre since his junior year of high school in his hometown of Garner, but has always been interested in writing, characters, and especially acting. At UNCG, he enjoyed his time being in the cast of Princess Fearless. Ben hopes to grow exponentially as an actor and to always create a safe, yet fun environment for those around him. He really appreciates you coming to the show and hopes you enjoy it with your full heart!
Caleb van Doornewaard (Len Hoch) is so excited to be working with such a talented company of actors in “Book of Days.” He’s a third year BFA Acting major here at UNCG, where you may have seen him previously as Borachio in “Much Ado About Nothing” or Mr. Dennis in “Last Stop On Market Street” and you’ll be able to see him as Charlie in the upcoming short film done through the school of theatre in collaboration with the media studies program of “Uncharted Potential.” A Wake Forest native who loves to fish, he is so happy to be playing Len and hopes you love the show!