Meet the “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!” Creative Team

A world premiere of a new play at South Coast Repertory is always an opportunity to welcome new and returning artists into our community. This incredibly talented team of artists will put their stamp on the magical theatrical event that is You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, running from Apr. 5 to May 3 on the Segerstrom Stage.

Director Zi Alikhan returns to SCR and to You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, having previously directed the reading during the 2024 Pacific Playwrights Festival. A queer, first-generation South Asian-American and culturally Muslim theatre director, Alikhan’s directing credits include acclaimed productions like On That Day in Amsterdam at Primary Stages, Sanctuary City at Pasadena Playhouse and The Band’s Visit at Writers Theatre and TheatreSquared.

Scenic Designer Adam Rigg is new to SCR, but not new to Keiko Green’s work, performing design work on Green’s play Empty Ride at The Old Globe earlier this year. On Broadway, Rigg designed The Skin of Our Teeth and Illinoise, while Off-Broadway credits include The House That Will Not Stand at New York Theatre Workshop, Cullud Wattah at The Public Theater and Blue Ridge at Atlantic Theater, among many others.

Costume Designer Lux Haac makes her SCR debut. Some of her theatre credits include The Thanksgiving Play at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater on Broadway, Eureka Day at Colt Coeur and Walkerspace, Native Gardens at Syracuse Stage, Espejos: Clean at Hartford Stage and Syracuse Stage and Ragtime at PlayMakers Repertory Company, among many others. She is a Core Collaborator with All My Relations Collective and received her MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Lighting Designer Barbara Samuels also makes her SCR debut. Her designs have been seen regionally at theatres including Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Alley Theatre, and Cincinnati Playhouse. Samuels’ New York credits include designs at Soho Rep, Signature Theatre, Lincoln Center, Ma-Yi Theater Company and Ars Nova, among many others. She is a New Georges Affiliated Artist, a 2016 Target Margin Institute Fellow and a member of Wingspace Theatrical Design.

Uptown Works (Sound Design) is a collaborative team of designers, returning to SCR after designing for avaaz in 2023. Some of their design credits include Tiny Father at Geffen Playhouse, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter at Denver Center for the Performing Arts and Fires in the Mirror at Baltimore Center Stage. Noel Nicholas led the design for the production of You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, with co-design by Bailey Trierweiler and Daniela Hart, all of whom received their MFAs from Yale School of Drama.

Projection Designer Nicholas Hussong makes his SCR debut. His work has been seen in Skeleton Crew on Broadway, On That Day in Amsterdam at Primary Stages, Vietgone at Guthrie Theater, Kleptocracy at Arena Stage and Magic Flute at Atlanta Opera, among many others. Hussong’s other work includes Apollo Exhibit, Virginia Museum of Art, San Diego’s Rady Shell, Nashville Symphony and Tony Awards on CBS. He has designed across the world in England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, China, Canada and Austria.

Movement Consultant James Alsop also makes her SCR debut. She has choreographed for Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Haim, most notably contributing choreography to Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. You can also see her choreography and movement direction in I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the Whitney Houston biopic, as well as “American Horror Story: Delicate,” “Pose,” “Emily in Paris” and “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” among many others. On stage, her choreography work includes The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical and A Transparent Musical.

Voice and Dialect Coach David Nevell returns to SCR, having recently coached for Joan and A Christmas Carol. He played Mr. Karl Lindner in SCR’s 2023 production of A Raisin in the Sun. Nevell has provided extensive voice, dialogue and dialect coaching for Fox Television, Pasadena Playhouse, Toi Whakaari in New Zealand, and PCPA, among others. Since 2004, Nevell has served as Head of Voice/Movement and Professor of Theatre and Dance at Cal State Fullerton.