Jay Stratton is the producing Artistic Director of the Madeline Park Shakespeare Festival and a theatre professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. 

As a UTEP professor, Jay is the co-adapter and creator of UTEP’s acclaimed bilingual A Christmas Carol en la Frontera. Jay also created UTEP’s Halloween productions of Shakespeare’s Asylum and Bloody Shakespeare! and the site-specific outdoor production of Lysistrata. Other UTEP productions include Medea, Sister Act, and Sara Ruhl’s In The Next Room. 

Jay is also the writer and director of the irreverent Covid comedy, Keeping Distance. Most recently, Jay collaborated with El Paso’s exciting new Teatro Neplanta Company to direct their very daring immersive version of The Motherf@#ker with the Hat by Stephen Adley Guirgis. 

For more, check out www.jay-stratton.com

Sydney Monroe Gaglio (Stage Manager) is a theatre artist from El Paso, Texas, who has recently returned after 8 years away in New York for university, work, and life. Their most recent stage management credits include the last two seasons of the Madeline Park Shakespeare Festival, Al’s Club (Teatro Neplanta), The Thanksgiving Play (Teatro Neplanta), The Motherf#cker in the Hat (Teatro Neplanta), Romeo and Juliet  (Teatro Neplanta), and Aquerón: El Rio de la Tragedia, with Mexico City’s Xipe Arts Collective at the Cherry Arts in Ithaca, NY. Syd is thrilled to be doing theatre work that they believe in, back in their hometown, and they are so grateful to their family and friends for all of their continued love and support. 

Gaby Reyes (Translator) is a recent graduate from UTEP with a degree in BFA in Theatre Performance. She co-edited and translated   "Twelfth Night” for the Madeline Park Shakespeare festival which was selected for the "Adapting, Translating, and Performing Shakespeare in the U.S- Mexico Borderlands" panel in San Antonio. She looks forward to continuing working with Jay on adapting “Taming of the shrew” for the next Madeline Park Shakespeare Festival. 

Melissa Flowers (Kate) Hailing from Florida and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, Melissa grew up in El Paso and picked up an affinity for theatre thanks to the theatre department at EPCC along with the El Paso Playhouse. She earned a BFA in Acting from Boston University and studied filmmaking at the London Film School. Now pursuing a career in teaching, she believes in the absolute necessity of theatre within communities, and it strongly informs her new vocation.  

Carolina Flores (Bianca/Grumio) is a recent musical theatre graduate from UTEP. Recently, she worked on UTEP’s “Metamorphoses” (Eurydice) and Madeline Park Shakespeare Festival’s “Twelfth Night” (Viola). She is so happy to be working in this bilingual production of “The Taming of the Shrew” and doing a tour for El Paso high schools. She is thankful for this opportunity and hopes everyone enjoys the show! 

Amanda Vasquez (Bautista) has been with Eden Performing Arts as a member of their companies: Shakespeare on the Rocks, and Los Actores, since 2012. She has also performed in several productions with The El Paso Playhouse, as well as EPCC.  Amanda is also a singer, and a film and television actor. She has featured in local independent films “WHERE ONE STANDS” , “SAVE ME” and is currently in production for “22 WEEKS”, and  ChicanoHollywoodTV’s “AIM FOR THE HEART” as recurring character, Jackie Corrales. 

Xavier Felix (Hortensio) is a two-time UTEP graduate with a BFA in Theatre and a Master’s degree in Education. He has performed in plays, musicals, and film throughout his high school, college, and professional career. Previous roles include Pedro Linares in UTEP’s Alebrijes, Mercutio in Teatro Neplanta’s Romeo & Juliet, and Mark Antony in Teatro Neplanta’s Julius Caesar. His love for theatre extends to acting, writing, singing, music, directing, and teaching. He is currently a high school theatre teacher at Montwood high school. He would like to thank his partner, family, doggies, and students for all their support. Go Rams! 

Adam Zarowski (Petruchio)  is a professional actor, director and producer with a BFA and MFA in Acting. Adam has acted and directed over a hundred productions all around the country and was a member of the American Shakespeare Center national touring company right before COVID disrupted the world. Adam is also a private acting coach, professor, adjudicator, massage therapist and the founder & artistic director for El Paso’s newest theatre, Teatro Neplanta: Home of the Borderland Players!  Most recently Adam was seen in Teatro Neplanta’s The MotherF#cker With the Hat, as Jackie and in Madeline Park Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, as both Duke Orsino and Malvolio. This past fall Adam was an actor in the Film Race, a reality show that followed local Borderland film makers as they made short films for a grand prize of ten thousand dollars! In May, Adam will be seen in The El Paso Opera’s Sunday in the Park w/George. Adam dedicates a lot of his time to adjudicating Texas U.I.L OAP contests and hosting acting and directing workshops for many schools all over the state.  Adam would like to thank his family & friends, without you, none of this would be possible. Also, thank you to everyone who continues to support Borderland Theatre!