ABOUT DEXO

Deseret Experimental Opera was founded in 2013. We produce unconventional operas across and about the Wasatch Front that foster a cross-disciplinary community of artists. We received nonprofit status in April 2019. Please consider donating to support the artists you saw tonight, and to help us continue our work. Thank you!

Chad Anderson

is a practicing clinical social worker based in Salt Lake City, where he lives with his husband and two sons. Chad has been involved in a number of creative ventures throughout the years, including his memoir Gay Mormon Dad, the documentary Dog Valley, the performance group Voices Heard, the podcast Graymalkin Lane, and the graphic novel the Mushroom Murders.

Movement Director

Ursula Perry

Composer and Music Director

Wachira Waigwa-Stone

is an accompanist, performer, composer, session player, and teacher. He holds a master’s degree in percussion performance from the University of Utah. He has toured the country and had his music performed internationally. He currently works as an accompanist for Tanner Dance and the School of Dance at the U of U.

Librettist and Historical Consultant

Fiona Robinson

was born and raised in Salt Lake City, but with dual citizenship her second home is near the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. She still resides in Salt Lake City, but loves to travel all over learning the histories and spooky tales of different places. She is married with two kids who are lovely and keep her on her toes. Fiona is currently working on her degree in history at a slow, but steady pace. She currently works for Grimm Ghost Tours based in Salt Lake City. She volunteers her time at the Fort Douglas Museum and to the Sema Hadithi organization, as well as various other research groups and projects. Fiona is passionate about history, research, and loves to share the stories of the past with those living in the present

Producer and Costumer

Carly Schaub

has directed Westminster Dance Company for two years and with the help of the wonderful staff and community directed Glint and One-Shot. Carly completed her M.F.A. at the University of Utah in Modern Dance with Screendance Certification and a B.F.A. in Theatre and Dance from the University of Wyoming. Currently she works as an adjunct faculty member at Westminster College, and Salt Lake Community College and is on faculty at Wasatch Arts Center in addition to teaching Dance for Parkinson’s for Grey Matters for the University of Utah Skagg’s Wellness Center.

Before attending graduate school, Carly danced, choreographed and served as the Education Coordinator at Northern Plains Dance in Bismarck, ND which led her all over the state performing and guest teaching with North Dakota Ballet and Red River Dance and choreographing numerous musicals for Sleepy Hollow Summer Theatre, Bismarck State College and area high schools.

She more recently choreographed and directed for DEXO, Snow College, Cache Valley Civic Ballet, Northern Plains Dance, North Dakota Ballet, Salt Lake Ballet Cooperative, and spent a summer teaching for ArchesSports in Chengdu, China, and also directs Dance Balletti, a Renaissance and Baroque ballet reconstruction ensemble.

She is proud to serve on the board of directors for Deseret Experimental Opera (DEXO) and Lyrical Opera Theater of Utah.  In her spare time she loves hiking, caring for her menagerie of animals, and following cats on Instagram.

Emerald

Kaushay Ford (she/her)

is honored to be in her second production with DEXO after nearly 5 years. She was a featured performer in DEXO's 2047 Series' show "Back Below" and is excited to once again join a talented cast in "Mushroom Murders". Kaushay has performed on and off for more than 10 years in theater and musical theater. Some of her favorite performing credits include Judine in "Hairspray", Heavenly Mother in "Mother Wove the Morning", and Doris in "Fame". When not on stage, Kaushay can be found telling stories in every art form imaginable: planning weddings, writing children's books, singing, acting, and occasionally reenacting her favorite scenes from old rom-coms. She is grateful for the opportunity to create art in so many collaborative settings and truly believes that doing so creates kindness, empathy, and connections that truly make life beautiful.

Sterling

Spencer Ford

is delighted to be back at DEXO, contributing to new art. His favorite desserts always include chocolate, and if he visits a new place and they have a chocolate milkshake, he is compelled to try it. He is very confused why thick milkshakes have become such a trend; they're impossible to drink and have no benefits for taste. Feel free to fight him about it after the show. He hopes you find 'Mushroom Murders' as much of a treat as it was for him to participate in!

Ohla Fungi

Emily Nelson

Is passionate for music of all kinds has, which has led her down diverse paths. In 2009, she co-founded Utopia Early Music, a group that presents concerts of medieval, renaissance and baroque music. Apart from early music, Emily's favorite use for her "clear, pure soprano" is in the portrayal of coloratura sidekicks and supernatural beings. Emily holds degrees in voice, music history, and early music performance from Indiana University and the University of Utah, where she completed her doctorate in vocal performance. She teaches at The University of Utah and Westminster College.

Mushroom Queen

Ivy Dior Stephens

Is a Colorado transplant, who has taken Salt Lake City by storm! Previously performing with Royal Caribbean Cruise lines and Disney world, she is very happy to have landed here in SLC. When she is not performing she loves to be in the mountains with her dogs or at a local brewery.

Nathaniel Woolley

is a singer, dancer, and theatre artist based in Salt Lake City, Utah who has been performing locally and nationally for 21 years. Nathaniel graduated from Westminster College with a BFA in Dance in 2020, where he performed in works by student, faculty, and guest choreographers in addition to serving as the department's costume designer. In 2019, Nathaniel was awarded a research grant from The Institute For Mountain Research, which he developed into his masterclass, Sacred Mountains: Where Body and Space Converge. Nathaniel is a proud member of Interdisciplinary Arts Collective. His proudest achievement with the collective was co-writing, co-directing, and starring in IAC's one act chamber opera for countertenor and chorus, Unidentified Subject. He was seen most recently in IAC's Musicircus WALL/CIRCLE/FRUIT as a performer and costume designer. Nathaniel also freelances as a cinematographer and editor for independent dance and art films as well as video marketing campaigns for local nonprofit and for-profit enterprises.

Arielle (Ari) Hassett

is a Salt Lake City freelance dancer and performer with SB Dance. She is currently in her 4th season with SB. Other local performance opportunities have included Fem Dance Company, RDT's Regalia, and Brine. Ari grew up in Ohio but relocated to Utah where she graduated from the University of Utah in Modern Dance and Biomedical Engineering. She has also trained with the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, Vaganova Ballet, RDT, Ririe-Woodbury, and the Juilliard School. Her dancing is founded in ballet and Horton techniques, but she prides herself in her versatility as a mover. Choreographically, she is interested in light-hearted, quirky work that fuses many styles. When Ari is not dancing, she is a research and development engineer for neurovascular devices at Stryker. While that's interesting and rewarding, dance is her true passion.

Katelynn Killian

is a Salt Lake City born and based Dance Artist. A 2020 graduate of Westminster College with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She was awarded Outstanding Graduating Senior in her cohort and continues to be an active alumni. In her time with the dance program she had the privilege to perform renowned José Limón and Doug Varone repertoire. Along with original works by dance department faculty Bethany Hansen, Natalie Desch, Michelle Armstrong, Allison Shir, Sara Pickett, Nathan Dryden and multiple collaborative student-generated dance works. Killian has performed in the plays Love and Information by Carol Churchill and Big Day for the Byrons by Max Huftalin. She also had the pleasure to design the lighting of evening length shows in Westminster’s dance department: The Right Kind of Ugly(2019), Kaleidoscope(2019), and Surrendered Contact(2021). Killian was awarded scholarship to Ririe Woodbury Dance Company’s 2018 summer Move-It intensive. Katelynn currently enjoys teaching as the Artistic Director of The Lab dance studio and performing as a freelance movement artist within and beyond the Salt Lake/Davis County areas. Killian also works for SLCO Arts and Culture as their Arts for All program coordinator in the Eccles Theater.

Cam Welch (they/he)

graduated with his BFA in Dance from Westminster College (2021) and MAT in K-12 Dance Education (2022). They are a joyful, expressive mover who participates in dance as an educator, performer, and choreographer, primarily in the Salt Lake Valley. He is thrilled to be part of this show as a mysterious, moving, murderous mushroom and to aid in guiding you through this riveting tale.

Jordan Reynosa (he/him/his)

graduated from Westminster College (‘21) with a BFA in acting and a minor in dance. He is the founder and artistic director of Beyond the Line Theatre Company and since its creation in 2019, they have performed two shows including Fictitious People and The Lady with the Dog at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Currently the company is rehearsing Clown House for the Fringe this year, and a dance concert titled, In the Horizon of My Mind. He has performed dance works choreographed by Meghan Wall, Natalie Desch, Dimitri Peskov, Shyli Bench, Bethany Hansen, and Allison Shir. He’s worked with Interdisciplinary Arts Collective on a musicircus titled, a wall for the body, a circle for the soul, a fruit for your memory. He has also created two screen dances titled YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND and Hand Dances & Silhouettes. Aside from dancing, he is also an actor and director. Some of his acting credits include The Fossil Record (Andrew) at An Other Theatre Company, Elephant and Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” (Puppeteer) at Salt Lake Acting Company, West Side Story (Luis) at the Grand Theatre, Ah, Wilderness! (Richard), Stop Kiss (Detective Cole), Othello (Gratiano), Spring Awakening (Otto), Hotel Cassiopeia (Umbrella), and Machinal (Bailiff). Instagram: @beyondthelinetheatreco, beyondthelinetheatrecompany.org.

Megan Fotheringham

has been a dancer since she was three years old. Primarily trained as a ballet dancer, she danced with Ballet Center Utah, Inc. from 2006 to 2021 where she performed many soloist roles in Ballet Center productions and choreographed many works for the company. During the summers of 2017, 2018, and 2019, she participated in the International Youth Ballet Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia and Salt Lake City. She had the privilege to train under Oleg Vinogradov and his acclaimed faculty. In 2019, she traveled to Incheon, South Korea with the University of Utah School of Dance to train with Mr. Vinogradov and Jay Kim. In 2021, she traveled to Detroit to study with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, where she performed work set by Clifford Williams. Megan graduated with a BFA in Dance from Westminster College in 2022. During her undergraduate she performed works by the faculty and students.