Our Team
ORIGINS
Inspired by the 2015 Women’s Voices Theatre Festival, which successfully brought together theaters in Washington, DC under one unifying initiative, Jen Uphoff Gray, Artistic Director of Madison’s Forward Theater Company, called on the leaders of Wisconsin’s top theaters to think big, be bold, and create a festival to serve not just one city but the entire state. Today, the team behind WPW consists of leadership from three of Wisconsin’s largest theaters – Forward Theater Company, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and Northern Sky Theater of Door County.
Festival Producer
Samantha Martinson
(she/her) is a Midwest-based director, community facilitator, and arts administrator. She spent the last 15 years working and living in Milwaukee, WI, collaborating with numerous regional theaters and arts organizations in varied roles—including American Players Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Door Shakespeare, First Stage, Milwaukee Ballet, and Forward Theater. At Milwaukee Chamber, she was the associate producer of the Young Playwrights’ Festival from 2014-2021. Most recently, she worked for the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, MN, helping facilitate their 24/25 new play development workshops. Samantha is a proud 2024 Kennedy Center Directing Intensive alum. samanthamartinson.comAssistant Festival Producer
Allie Babich
(she/her) grew up on and in the fine theaters across Wisconsin, and has performed at many, including First Stage, Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Third Avenue Playworks, Door Shakespeare, Northern Sky Theater, Sunset Playhouse, Waukesha Civic Theater, and Theatre on Main. She also works in other states. She is a graduate of the Young Company at First Stage and the University of Minnesota/BFA Guthrie Theater program, and is a student of the Back Room Shakespeare Project. While her stuff is now elsewhere, Wisconsin remains an artistic home, and she is pleased as punch to serve the amazing art and artists in this state through the 2026 WPW festival. www.alliebabich.comThe Board
Randy Bryant
is an executive with 40+ years of experience in Fortune 100, Private and Not-for-Profit corporations with a record of achieving dramatic results in business operations and P&L management success. He is also President/CEO of Ten Chimneys Foundation, the National Historic Landmark estate of Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne and is dedicated to American theater, the legacy of the Lunts and historic preservation. Bryant served as a Motorola executive holding positions as Director, VP, GM, and President of two Motorola international subsidiaries/joint ventures. He is recognized as a subject matter expert in historic preservation. Current board/committee appointments include: National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), NTHP African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, Milwaukee Art Museum, Bard of Pittsburgh. Bryant resides in Milwaukee, WI with his wife, Cecelia Gore.
Laura Braza
(she/her/hers) is a director, producer, and the Associate Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. MILWAUKEE REP: Romeo & Juliet, Much Ado About Nothing, Dial ‘M’ for Murder’, Million Dollar Quartet, Grounded, Songs for Nobodies (Am premiere), and more. Select NY Credits: Artistic Director of The Attic Theater Company, where she directed The Notebook of Trigorin (NY premiere), Strictly Dishonorable, Jericho, and more; work at Keen Company, NYMF, FringeNYC, Atlantic Theater Company Stage II. CHICAGO: We Are Out There, It Came from Outer Space* (Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Jeff Award). REGIONAL: It Came from Outer Space (Theater Squared); The Dispute (Hangar Theatre); Theophilus North (Dog Days Theatre with FSU/ Asolo Rep). BFA from NYU, Drama League Directors Project, SDC member. Guest director and teaching artist for UNCSA and NYU. (*world premiere)
Lachrisa Grandberry
is a Milwaukee-born, Chicago-based playwright, lyricist, poet, actor, and singer whose work centers healing, liberation, and joy. Named one of Wisconsin’s 52 Most Influential Black Leaders, she is a Dramatists Guild Foundation National Musical Theater Fellow Alum, and honored to join the Goodman Theatre’s 2026 New Stages Residency. Lachrisa serves as the Director of NOVA Programming at Northern Sky Theater, where she supports writers and the development of new work. Her writing includes her debut poetry collection Shredding Rugs; two musicals produced at Northern Sky Theater in Door County, Wisconsin: Girls on Sand and Sunflowered; (amongst others.) As a performer, her career spans Midwest stages including Goodman Theatre, Northern Sky Theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Forward Theater, First Stage, Milwaukee Chamber Theater and more. Learn more at lachrisagrandberry.com.
Annika Perez-Krikorian
(she/her/hers) is a recently minted Wisconsinite by way of Seattle and NYC. She is the current Literary Director at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. She has previously worked at Playwrights Horizons, Seattle Rep, and The 5th Avenue Theatre. Milwaukee Rep: Parental Advisory (Assistant Director), What the Constitution Means to Me (Dramaturg). Other favorite credits include: Next to Normal, Constellations, and we will eat your grief (Director), Indecent, True West (Assistant Director), Shout Sister Shout! (Script Supervisor/Assistant to the Playwright). She is a graduate of Gonzaga University and an alumnus of the National Theater Institute's Advanced Directing program, where she was a Miranda Family Fellow.
Molly Rhode
(she/her/hers) is a Wisconsin native and splits her time between Milwaukee and Door County, where she serves as Artistic Director of Northern Sky Theater. At Northern Sky the mission is new musicals, and Molly has helped bring over thirty world premieres to the stage. She holds a degree in Theatre Studies from Southern Methodist University with a double emphasis in Playwriting and Directing. Molly is also an actor who has enjoyed appearances on all of Milwaukee's professional stages as well as in Madison, Spring Green, and of course, Door County. She loves making art in our great state.
Julie Swenson
(she/her/hers) joined Forward Theater Company as Managing Director after 17 seasons as Producing Director for Renaissance Theaterworks in Milwaukee. Julie received a BA in theater from Illinois Wesleyan University and became a member of Actors’ Equity Association while living in New York city. Julie fell in love with the Forward family when she worked as an actor in Forward’s production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike in the role of Masha. Outside of theater she served on the Village of Nashotah board serving as President for two terms and was the host of New Home Building Today on WTMJ-4 in Milwaukee. Julie has two grown sons, Johnny and Jarek, and is happily settled on the west side of Madison.
Jennifer Uphoff Gray
(she/her/hers) is the founding artistic director of Forward Theater Company. She dreamed up World Premiere Wisconsin in September 2018, and led it to full realization in 2023. Now she serves as chair of the WPW board. In Wisconsin, Jen has directed for Madison Rep and Milwaukee Shakespeare. She directed the National Tour of Copenhagen, and was Associate Director on Broadway of Copenhagen, Cabaret, The Blue Room, and The Life. Jen grew up in the Madison area, holds a degree in Dramatic Literature & Stage History from Harvard College, and is the proud parent (alongside husband Peter) of Jamie, Seeger and Arden.