Second Thought Theatre’s 2025 Season of World Premieres
Opening with New Play,
Healed
by Blake Hackler!
25 years of sickness and not a single doctor, test, or treatment has helped Gail’s pain.
Enter Pureaire—a radical health center in the Texas Hill Country run by the
controversial Dr. T. Is this her cure? Her salvation? Or something else entirely…
Previews: April 23 rd and April 24 th
Opening Night: April 25 th
Closing Night: May 10 th
Tickets on Sale Now
DALLAS (April 10, 2025) Diving into a season of world premieres featuring the work of
local playwrights, Second Thought Theatre’s first show Healed by Blake Hackler is a
surreal journey centered around the costs of chronic illness. When Gail (Gigi
Cervantes*) leaves her daughter Caroline (Amanda Nicole Reyes) and grandson Matty,
to desperately search for relief from the years of her chronic pain, she is introduced to
the radical retreat, Pureaire. There she meets fellow participants like Rena (Karen
Parrish) and Sam (Kat Lozano) who have seen–or maybe just heard the rumors of– the
miracles that the enigmatic Dr. T (Lisa Lloyd*) and her right hand Sacha (Liz
Sankarsingh) have performed. Will Gail be one of the Healed? Are the coyotes
surrounding the camp real? And who is the sickest patient (vickie washington*) that
lives in the ceramic hut? Hackler’s clever, heart wrenching, and unyielding dialogue
enhanced by the thoughtful and engaging direction of STT’s Artistic Director Carson
McCain dares to ask: how far would you go to reclaim your health? And what might it
cost you?
“When Carson and I had the idea of doing an entire season of World Premiere’s
by local writers, Blake was our obvious first thought” shares Executive Director,
Parker Davis Gray. “The average Dallas theatre audience doesn’t personally
know Lauren Gunderson or Kate Hamill, or any of the other most-produced
playwrights across America…but they know Blake Hackler, or have at least seen
and admired his work across the metroplex as a company member at DTC, or
Undermain, or have been taught by him at SMU. We want to showcase the
incredible talent we have here in Dallas, and Blake is a shining example of that
on and off stage, and on paper. Second Thought audiences will also be treated
to more of Hackler’s work as STT has consistently served as an incubator for
Blake’s new plays.”
Hackler’s show includes nine artists making their STT in-person debuts, including every
actor, as well as Jori Jackson (STT Associate Directing Cohort ’25) and Kathleen
Culebro (costumes). STT is excited to welcome back Cresent R. Haynes (sound). Roma
Flowers (lights), José Torres (scenic), and Mikaela Donelle Brooks* (stage
management).
*Appearing under a Small Professional Theatres contract courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association, the
Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
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HEALED CREATIVES AND CAST
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Blake Hackler (Playwright) is an actor, writer and director originally from Texas. His adaptation
of The Seagull premiered at Theatre Three in 2024 to universal critical acclaim. In 2021, his
adaptation of Hedda Gabler was hailed by Terry Teachout writing for the Wall Street Journal as
“deft …one of the best productions of this play I’ve ever seen.” Other: What We Were - finalist
for the O’Neill, the Bay Area Playwright’s Festival, winner of the 2017 Ashland New Play; The
Necessities Nominee, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Award Enemies/People, Best Play of 2018,
Dallas Observer; This Sweet Affliction – Yale Cabaret, Primary Stages workshop, The Boss in
the Satin Kimono - New York International Fringe Festival, 10 Reasons I Won’t Go Home With
You (lyrics) – Midtown Theatre Festival, Winner Best of Fest, The Lady in Red – Gene Frankel
Theatre, Mother Courage of Westchester – NYTE, Barry Horowitz: A Jewish Fantasia on
Catholic Themes – Prospect Theatre and The Wasp Woman – a musical written with Phillip
Chernyak. He is a member of the esteemed BMI/Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Writing
Program and is the recipient of the Harrington Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Writing.
He holds an MFA in Acting from the Yale School of Drama, a two-time Fulbright Senior Scholar,
and a 2018 MacDowell Fellow.
Carson McCain (Director & STT Artistic Director) is a born-and-bred Texas director and
producer, with a heart for new and local work that serves to connect humans and foster
empathy.She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, where she studied acting, and
directing. There, she received a Meadows Exploration Grant to develop and produce the world
premiere of Michelle with Wet Eyeballs by Claire Carson. Second Thought Theatre audiences
will recognize her work as the director of Empathitrax by Ana Nogueira and The Great God Pan
by Amy Herzog. She has also directed at Undermain Theatre (Really by Jackie Sibblies Drury,)
and Stage West (Lungs by Duncan McMillan). She served as associate director on Dallas
Theater Center’s 2016 production of A Christmas Carol, on Second Thought Theatre‘s
production of BOOTH by Steven Michael Walters, and as assistant director on Belleville by Amy
Herzog, Kitchen Dog’s Production of I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard. Other directing credits
include Middletown by Will Eno, Delirium by Enda Walsh and Theatre O, and the world premiere
of Ophelia Underwater by Janielle Kastner. To experience more of Carson’s work, check out her
most recent podcast, Untitled Dad Project with Janielle Kastner on whatever podcast app you
use.
Jori Jackson (Associate Director) is a mutli-disciplinary theatre artist and Shreveport,
Louisiana native. Her stage experience is rooted in devised storytelling and performance art that
highly focuses on the upliftment and amplification of Black, BIPOC, Womxn, Youth, LGBTQIA
centric works. She holds a B.S. in Musical Theatre and Performance Directing from
Northwestern State University of LA. Her most recent directing work includes 4th Annual
Banned Books Festival: The Stamped Project (Bishop Arts Theatre), The Thought Process: A
Playwriting Cohort ( Second Thought Theatre) and New Play Concert Reading (UTA Black
Theatre Society). Some of her acting credits include: YANGA, The Last Stop On Market Street,
PETE, Once On This Island, Memphis, AIDA and A Raisin In The Sun.She is a recipient of the
DFW Black Arts- Irma P. Hall Awards Medal of Community Service for her work as Community
Partnerships Program Manager at Broadway Dallas and is currently pursuing a Sensitivity
Specialist Certification with The Intimacy Coordinators of Color. Jori is beyond excited to be
part of the STT Associate Director Cohort and all of the meaningful storytelling that’s to come
this season.
Gigi Cervantes* (GAIL) is excited to make her Second Thought debut! Gigi has just finished a
run as Abuela Claudia in In the Heights at Theatre Arlington, where she has previously
appeared as Dottie Otley/Mrs. Clackett in Noises Off. Other theatre credits include Tía Susana
in The Amazing, Fabulous, and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia (Amphibian Stage),
Actress in The Way She Spoke (Undermain Theatre), Imaculada in Man Cave (Kitchen Dog
Theater), Amalia in American Mariachi (Cleveland Play House, Alabama Shakespeare Festival,
Goodman Theatre, Dallas Theater Center), Mrs. Webb in Our Town (Dallas Theater Center),
and Mrs. Gibbs in Our Town (Circle Theatre). Gigi is also an award-winning singer/songwriter,
and has recently returned to teaching Theatre at the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts.
Amanda Nicole Reyes (CAROLINE/ CHARLA) is a Mexican American actor and filmmaker
based in Fort Worth, Texas. She holds a B.A. in Media Arts from the University of North Texas
and an M.F.A. in Directing Narrative Cinema from the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema in
Brooklyn, NY. Amanda has extensive experience in film and television as both an actor and
director. Notable acting credits include her role as the title character in the feature film Marisol.
As a director, her most recent film, Going Home, premiered at the Panther City Film Festival
and was also featured at the San Antonio Film Festival. Her work has garnered attention,
including an interview with Dallas Voyage Magazine for her acting achievements in Fort Worth
theater. Her recent theater credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Big Love (Hip
Pocket Theater), Texas Book of Beats (Arts Fort Worth), The Visit along with The Amazing,
Fabulous, and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia (Amphibian Stage) and Destroying David
(Circle Theater). Additionally, she is an active member of the City of Fort Worth Young
Professionals Club, and an active Board Member for Amphibian Stage. She is thrilled to join this
incredibly talented cast on this phenomenal play for her Second Thought Theatre debut. She
would like to thank her parents, brother, husband, and best friend for always believing in and
supporting her ambitious dreams!
Lisa Lloyd* (DR. TOLLIVER) is thrilled to be joining the STT company of Healed! Previous
credits include POOR CLARE at Stage West, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, BE AGGRESSIVE, and
GUYS AND DOLLS at the Dallas Theater Center, WORK SONG, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, WIT,
and ANNA KARENINA at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Casa
Manana, AS YOU LIKE IT at Montana Shakespeare, numerous productions with The Dallas
Children’s Theater, Casa Manana Playhouse and Garland Summer Musicals. Lisa's TV/Film
credits include “Prison Break”, “The Young and The Restless”, “Cruel Summer”, “What Would
You Do?” and “The Girl Who Believes In Miracles”. Lisa has extensive commercial credits with
spots currently running for “United Supermarkets,” "Right at Home," and "Travel Texas." When
not on stage or screen, Lisa is the Private Acting Teacher for McKinney ISD. She holds her BFA
in Theater from Southern Methodist University and is represented by The Campbell Agency.
Lisa would like to thank her husband, Markus for his endless love and constant encouragement
of her career and their two teen boys, “Deuce” and Solomon, for their love and support, as she
missed a few of their school performances to participate in this fabulous production. Soli Deo
Gloria. @lisajlloyd
Liz Sankarsingh (SACHA) is delighted to make her Second Thought Theatre debut. She was
most recently seen in "Wakey Wakey" at Kitchen Dog Theater and Natural Shocks: A One-
Woman Play in a Tornado at Echo Theatre. Liz is represented by Linda McAlister Talent, with
recent commercial credits including Perdue, H.E.B., Ford, and Liberty Tax. A passionate
storyteller both on and off screen, she produced "Howler" by Richard Bailey and is excited to
reunite with him as producer and performer in his upcoming film, Dreadnought. Offstage, Liz
brings her creativity to community-building as a grant writer for Tasveer, the world’s only
Oscar®-qualifying South Asian film festival. She proudly serves on the boards of Junior Players
and Echo Theatre and was honored to join the inaugural cohort of Women of Color Rising, an
initiative by Dallas Truth, Racial Healing Transformation. Endless thanks to Frankie, Tim, and
Leela for holding down the fort while I got to play—I love you, my family!
Karen Parrish (RENA) was last seen in Undermain Theater’s EXIT THE KING, Karen is thrilled
to be working with The Second Thought. Other recent work includes Kitchen Dog Theater’s
LOVE AND VINYL, THE SOUND INSIDE, and GARY as well as the THE FATHER at Stage
West. Karen has been a company member with Kitchen Dog Theater for over twenty years
where memorable work includes: IRONBOUND, BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE ARSONISTS,
THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, BOOM, WOYZECK, JESUS HOPPED THE “A” TRAIN,
ACT OF PASSION, RECKLESS, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and ROAD. A graduate of the
SMU Theatre Program and MFA Acting program at WVU, Karen has also worked with Maryland
Ensemble Theater and The Contemporary American Theater Festival. Karen taught theater at
The University of the Incarnate Word and The Winston School. Currently, she teaches English
at Richardson HS. She has 23 year old twins who never quit amazing her, two small dogs who
keep her hopping, and an amazing husband who keeps her spoiled but grounded.
Kat Lozano (SAM) is a queer artist based in Dallas, TX. They are thrilled to return to Second
Thought Theatre for the world premiere of Healed. Previously at STT, they appeared in Libra
Season and assistant directed the 2021 world premiere of Sweetpea. Kat most recently
appeared in Julius Caesar at Shakespeare Dallas. Other notable credits include what fits inside
a human heart at Soul Rep Theatre, the 2022 & 2023 New Works Festival Mainstage
productions of High Five and The Last Truck Stop at Kitchen Dog Theatre, as well as Queen of
Basel and Wolf at the Door (Kitchen Dog), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare Everywhere), and
Dracula (Theatre Three). Their film work includes Everything Except Hope, Artificial, and Bitch’s
Tit. They also work as a voice actor with Crunchyroll and have appeared in commercials and
print ads for brands like HEB and Nutella. Kat is also a member of STT’s Thought Process
playwriting cohort and is currently developing a play exploring themes of gender identity and
sexuality. Kat holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Texas at Austin. katherinelozano.com
vickie washington* (RUTH) a theatre artist and cultural worker based in Dallas and working
everywhere. Acting credits (selected): The TEAM’s Primer for a Failed Superpower, directed by Rachel
Chavkin; Blood Work, (National Black Theater); A Raisin in the Sun,(WaterTower); POTUS, (Stage
West); Dreaming Emmett (DNA Works); Crowns, (DTC); for colored girls…, Joe Turner’s Come and
Gone, Piano Lesson, (Theatre Three); Contribution, From the Mississippi Delta (Soul Rep); The Tempest,
Macbeth (Shakespeare Dallas). On-camera in Random Acts of Flyness (HBO); Indie films, Meta Care,
They Charge for the Sun, Swimming in Your Skin Again (official Sundance selection); and Steps of Faith.
Selected directing credits include Primary Trust, Responders,Whitelisted, Blood Knot, What to Send Up
When It Goes Down, Seven Guitars, Hairy and Sherri, The Mountaintop, Schoolgirls; or the African
Mean Girls Play, Are you now, or have you ever been…, Fences, Passing Strange, Single Black Female,
Sunset Baby, Fabulation, and Angela’s Mixtape. She is the recipient of the 2025 Irma P. Hall Lifetime
Achievement Award, and as director has garnered two Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards along with
recognition from the Dallas Observer for her direction of the world premiere of Jonathan Norton’s
Mississippi Goddamn. vickie is founder and producing director of r-t-w~ reading the writers, a readers
theatre performance organization. A proud member of Actors Equity, and Stage Directors and
Choreographers Society, she deeply values the gift of theatre and the powerful ways in which it can be
utilized to tell the stories of the African Diaspora. #onandup
Mikaela Donelle Brooks* (Stage Management) is deeply dedicated to working on art that will
help make the world better for future generations, either through making us confront
uncomfortable things about our society or by uplifting marginalized communities. She works as
an artist in many different capacities; as a director, playwright, and stage manager. She has
directed SMU’s Smart People, a short film (Within), and Echo Theatre’s staged readings of
Bourbon at the Border and Daisy Violet, the Bitch Beast Queen. She wrote FREAKSHOW, a
futuristic view on what happens when history continues to be re-written and black women
continue to be exploited, which premiered as a staged reading in SMU’s New Visions, New
Voices new play festival, and was refined through Second Thought’s inaugural year of the
playwriting cohort, Thought Process. She has stage managed Echo Theatre's US/THEM and I
and You, Cara Mia Theater's production of When Earth Meets the Sky and SMU's Spring
Awakening, the South African tour of a new opera, Wading Home, the Dallas premiere of a new
play, SHAPE, with Kitchen Dog Theater, and hang at Second Thought Theatre. She has been
the Production Assistant on Dallas Theater Center’s In The Bleak Midwinter, Working: The
Musical, and the world premiere of The Supreme Leader.
José Torres (Scenic Designer & STT Technical Director) is a proud alum of Texas Wesleyan
University, where he honed his craft and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. He is
very honored to serve as Technical Director at Second Thought Theatre, where every day, he
gets to marry his love for technical theatre with his deep appreciation for live performances.
José's journey in the world of theatre began in middle school, a time when he discovered solace
in the camaraderie that exists behind the scenes. It was then that he developed a profound
respect for creating magical performances that leave audiences mesmerized. His passion for
the beauty and intricacy of technical theatre has only grown since those early days, fueling a
career marked by dedication and continuous learning. Today, José lends his help at various
local theatres including Pegasus Theatre, Teatro Dallas, Grand Prairie Arts, and Hip Pocket
Theatre. Whether he is working on a local production, with the IATSE local unions, or touring as
an entertainment technician, José brings a spirit of cooperation and a heartfelt belief in the
mantra: "Teamwork makes the dream work!" José is incredibly grateful for the hardworking and
kind individuals he has had the opportunity to work with over the years. He extends his deepest
thanks to everyone involved in the production, acknowledging that it is their collective effort that
brings the dream to life, one stunning performance at a time.
Kathleen Culebro (Costume Designer) is thrilled to be working at Second Thought for the first
time. She has designed costumes for Rooted, Spaceman, No Child, She Wolf, Bank Job, A
Room of One’s Own, and Three Days of Rain, as well as sets for The First Day of School, Dark
Play or Stories for Boys, Miss Witherspoon, Below the Belt, Four Edges, Leonce & Lena, Three
Days of Rain, and Burn This—all at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth. Also a playwright, she is the
author of The Amazing, Fabulous, and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia, Smart Pretty
Funny, La Llorona, and A Leopard Complains of Its Spots. For 25 years, she was the Founding
Artistic Director of Amphibian Stage.
Roma Flowers (Lighting Designer) is a theatrical lighting and projection designer who has
worked with theatre, opera, concert, dance and video productions. She has designed lighting for
dance for such diverse performing artists as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Dark
Circles Contemporary Dance, and The Dance Theatre of Harlem among others. Roma is a
recipient of the prestigious New York Dance and Performance Award (a.k.a. Bessie) for her
lighting designs and the KOI-USA Knight of Illumination Projection Design Award for A Bon
Coeur, an evening-length work, created by dance artist, Helanius J. Wilkins. Roma created the
video design for the 2023 premiere of The Factotum (Lyric Opera of Chicago). As Lighting
Designer, her recent work includes Thunder Knocking on the Door (Houston’s Stages), They Do
Not Move and Love Bomb (Houston’s Catastrophic Theatre). Fort Worth productions include
Poor Clare and POTUS (Stage West), Destroying David (Circle Theatre) and hang (Second
Thought Theatre) in Dallas.
Cresent R. Haynes (Sound Designer) received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts
Technology, with a focus in Sound Design from Howard University in 2012. Since then
Cresent’s credits include: The Hatmaker’s Wife (Circle Theatre), SLEEPOVA (Olney Theatre
Company), Shane (Dallas Theatre Center), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (University
of Rochester), hang (Second Thought Theatre), POTUS (Everyman Theatre), Show Way the
Musical National Tour (presented by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts), One
in Two (Mosaic Theater Company), The Mortification of Fovea Munson (The John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts), The School for Lies (Constellation Theatre), Mojada (1st Stage
Theatre), A Strange Loop (Woolly Mammoth Theatre), Intimate Apparel (Theatre J), Fabulation
(Mosaic Theater Company), The Laramie Project (Duke Ellington School of the Arts), N
(Keegan Theatre), Hope in the Hood (Amazing Grace Conservatory) and many more. Cresent is
also a freelance Live Audio Engineer and Visual Artist. She has aspirations to design on
Broadway and continue touring with various performing artists as their Audio Engineer, all while
continuing to fill spaces with her original exhibits (www.linktr.ee/cresentrochelle)
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ABOUT SECOND THOUGHT THEATRE:
Second Thought Theatre (STT) provides an intimate and unique theatrical experience
by empowering top local theater artists to take risks, and by showcasing writers who
boldly tackle the difficult and demanding questions of our rapidly changing world.
DETAILS AT A GLANCE
Healed
by Blake Hackler
April 23rd – May 10 th 2025 at Bryant Hall
Creatives
Director Carson McCain
Assistant Director Jori Jackson
Stage Manager Mikaela Donelle Brooks*
Technical Director/ Scenic Designer José Torres
Costume Designer Kathleen Culebro
Sound Designer Cresent R. Haynes
Lighting Designer Roma Flowers
Cast
GAIL Gigi Cervantes*
CAROLINE/ CHARLA Amanda Nicole Reyes
DR. TOLLIVER Lisa Lloyd*
SACHA Liz Sankarsingh
RENA Karen Parrish
SAM Kat Lozano
RUTH vickie washington*
*Appearing under a Small Professional Theatres contract courtesy of Actor’s Equity
Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
Press Night
April 25, 2024
RSVP EMAIL
Parker@SecondThoughtTheatre.com
Website
www.secondthoughttheatre.com
Healed by Blake Hackler
Directed by Carson McCain
Previews: April 23rd and 24th
Opening: April 25th
Run: April 25th - May 10th (Monday 7:30PM, Thursday 7:30PM, Friday 8PM, Saturday
8PM)
PWYC Mondays: April 28th & May 5th
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