Gabriel Gaston* (Nick) is thrilled to be making his SCR debut. His credits include Camino Real (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and Morning in America (Cherry Lane Theatre). Film and TV includes “Unforgettable” (CBS) and “Gone Hollywood” (FX Pilot). He earned his MFA at The Juilliard School (Group 54).
Derek Manson* (George Understudy) returns to SCR after appearing in last season’s Little Shop of Horrors (Orin). Past SCR credits include Snow White (Four), Tiger Style! (Russ), You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Snoopy) and the 2022 and 2023 Pacific Playwrights Festivals. Recent credits include Musical Theatre West’s Into the Woods (The Baker), and Disney’s Frozen with McCoy Rigby Entertainment in La Mirada. Last fall he was seen in Inkwell Theater’s world premiere play Paper Walls on the Broadwater Main Stage in Hollywood. Los Angeles stage credits include The Bicycle Men, Neil Simon’s Musical Fools, The Gary Plays, Room Service, The 39 Steps, Life Expectancy, The Brat Pack, Love Actually in Concert, Sunny Afternoon, King Dick, 1984, The Bewildered Herd, Making Paradise and Second City This Week. Television and and voice over credits include “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “The Last Tycoon,” “UnREAL,” and SNL’s “Best of TV Funhouse.”
Kim Martin-Cotten* (Martha) is a producer, director, actor and educator. From Fall of 2021 to Summer of 2025 she held the positions of SCR’s Associate Artistic Director and Co-director of the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Before joining SCR she held the positions of Artistic Producer and Associate Director of New Works for Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Prior to that, as the founding Artistic Producer of Off-Broadway company Hang A Tale, she was producing in New York from 2014 through 2019, developing new work and reimagining classics. As an actor, she has performed regionally across the country, and in New York, she has been seen both off and on Broadway. Her latest work as an actor was covering both Cynthia Nixon and Laura Linney in the rotating roles of Regina and Birdie for the Broadway production of The Little Foxes. She also performed in Merchant of Venice as Portia opposite Al Pacino on Broadway in Lily Rabe’s absence. She was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for her performance as Josie in Moon for the Misbegotten at Pearl Theatre. She has also taught acting at Yale School of Drama. As a director, she recently directed The Old Man and The Old Moon at Outside SCR, and co-directed Million Dollar Quartet. Other directing projects include The Dumbwaiter, Cabaret, Death of A Salesman, Proof and The Taming of the Shrew. She also served as Project Assistant to Anna Deavere Smith on her initial production of House Arrest: First Edition at Arena Stage.
Esther Pielstick (Honey Understudy) (she/her) is making her South Coast Repertory debut and is excited to join Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She is a second-year MFA Acting student at the University of California, Irvine. A multidisciplinary actor, writer, and producer, her work includes creating and performing in award-winning productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Salt Lake City Fringe Festival. Her additional experience includes independent film production, writing, and marketing, with a focus on new-work development. Pielstick is grateful for the opportunity to work with the SCR team and for the support of her family, friends, and her forever teammate, Trevor. Estherpielstick.com
Elysia Roorback* (Honey) holds a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. During her time at Tisch, she trained at Atlantic Theater Company and in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Upon graduating in spring of 2023, she took on the leading role in the world premiere of Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard, a co-production between Tectonic Theater Project and Miami New Drama, directed by Tony Award nominee and Presidential Medal of Arts recipient Moisés Kaufman. She can be seen in the upcoming second season of the Emmy-award winning series “The Pitt,” premiering on HBO Max January 8th. She is thrilled to be working on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, her favorite play of all time, here at SCR.
Sharon Sharth* (Martha Understudy) A lifetime member of Actors Studio and the renowned Circle Repertory Company in NYC, she is a notable talent in film, television, and theatre. Sharth developed new plays with Aaron Sorkin, Lanford Wilson, John Pielmeier. On and Off-Broadway, she originated fourteen lead roles and performed at Circle Repertory Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Cort Theatre, Promenade Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, The Old Globe, Coachella Valley Repertory, Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre and the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Conference. She has also toured internationally, most notably in Japan in Sam Shepherd’s Fool for Love, traveling with Edward Albee himself. She starred in Arlene Hutton’s Nibroc Trilogy at Rubicon Theatre Company, which were the first American plays filmed and added to DigitalTheatre.com, a London-based streaming service. Recent film work includes Sundance Festival Directing Winner, Accidental Getaway Driver, Baggage Check with Mira Sorvino and Very Prosperous Men.
Jake Stiel (Nick Understudy) is thrilled to be making their debut at South Coast Repertory! Born and raised in New York, Stiel received his BA in Theatre & Performance from Bard College, where he appeared in Three Sisters, directed by Whitney White. After graduating, Stiel moved back to New York City and worked in production and artist relations at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, supporting a wide range of multidisciplinary artists and new works. At Joe’s Pub, he contributed to the development and presentation of concerts, theatrical performances, and special events. Stiel is currently pursuing an MFA in Acting at the University of California, Irvine, and will graduate in 2027. @jakestiel
Brian Vaughn* (George) returns to SCR after playing Georg in She Loves Me. He recently finished touring the country in the Tony Award Winning Best Musical Revival of Parade and before that in the Broadway first national tour of Beetlejuice. Recent credits include Sweet Smell of Success at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Claudius in Hamlet at the Denver Center Theatre Company. Vaughn appeared in more than 60 productions in over 25 years at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and 13 years as a Resident Company Member at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Regional credits include Arizona Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Northlight Theatre, PCPA, Skylight Music Theatre. Favorite roles include Hamlet, Henry V, Cyrano de Bergerac, Iago in Othello, The Poet in An Iliad, Charlie in Stones in his Pockets, Javert in Les Misérables, Harold Hill in The Music Man and Mozart in Amadeus. brianvaughnofficial.com / @brianvaughn11
