Meet the WTF Team:
Leadership Team
Max Pinsky
Artistic Director
Max has been directing in and around Central Florida for over 10 years. He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida’s Dept. of Writing & Rhetoric, holding both a BA and MA in Rhetoric & Composition. Likewise, he is also currently pursuing an MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of Idaho. Max was first invited to a Whiskey Theatre Factory Artist Salon back in June of 2022, presenting a section of a play he wrote with Liv Tyndall titled Sappho at Mytilene. He a lifelong student and practitioner of Greek drama, which he continues to produce under Project no.19 Performance Company. With Whiskey Theatre Factory, Max has been a director (“Love-All,” What's in the Basement, Honey?, 2023), playwright (“Asopao,” Still on Zoom, 2023; COMBINED, April 2024), stage manager (The Saints of West Orange County, 2024 Orlando Fringe), and actor (Bi Bi Bi, 2024). He holds such a deep admiration for developing new work from rising and returning theatre artists and firmly believes that a theatre that believes in community should always be a place to try something new. He is a supporter of multilingual writing and work that emphasizes the unique and individual taste of the artist. Feel free to meet Max at one of WTF’s regular Artist Salons!
Ruby is honored to join Whiskey Theatre Factory as a collective member! She began with the company in August as an actor with the production of “What’s in the Basement Honey? Seven Short Plays on Marriage, Feminism, and Zombies”, and has since been seen in “Night on Zoom: A Night of Short Plays Set in the Virtual World”, and most recently in WTF’s 2024 Orlando Fringe show, “The Saints of West Orange County”. Her adoration for theatre started at a young age, and as time continued she worked to grow in her craft. She’s challenging herself while reemerging back into theatre, with more on the "behind the scenes” as an assistant director and social media marketing manager with Project No. 19 Performance Company. Outside of the theatre Ruby is a passionate stay at home parent, who lives to inspire other parents to chase after their spark, and wants to remind everyone that their passions are worth making time for.
Ruby Dickerson
Director of Marketing and Communications
2025/2026 Collective
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Ashley Alonso
Ashley Alonso (She/Her) has been working with Whiskey Theatre for the last couple of years from participating in the One-Minute playwriting festival to her most recent: assistant directing The Virginia Woolf Project. She is also currently working on her script to be presented in Whiskey Theatre’s Party to Grief. Ashley likes to dabble in all things artistic and paints D&D minis in her free time.
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Liz Bernstein
LEGACY COLLECTIVE MEMBER
Bio forthcoming!
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Krystal Glover
Krystal Glover is an actress and director based in Orlando, FL. Known for her emotionally grounded performances and intuitive presence, she brings depth, vulnerability, and nuance to every role. She trains and substitutes at Truthful Acting Studios and is an ensemble member of Theater on the Edge. Passionate about creating spaces for actors to freely explore their craft, Krystal also finds deep joy in bringing playwrights’ visions to life with care. She is most lit-up by work that explores identity, healing, and the inner lives of complex, often underrepresented characters. Whether on stage or screen, she hopes each project she touches allows someone to feel seen and understood—even if just for a moment. When she’s not creating, you’ll likely find her in nature or spending time with her furbaby, Kingley.
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Meghan Pratt
LEGACY COLLECTIVE MEMBER
Bio forthcoming!
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Irene L. Pynn
Irene L. Pynn is a Central Florida writer and theatremaker, whose plays include I, Cockroach, Suture Bowl, Enter, Pursued by a Whale, How to Field Dress an Android, and several shorts. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and her work has been produced throughout the United States and abroad. Irene holds an MFA in writing from Seton Hill University and a PhD in Texts and Technology from the University of Central Florida. Her other publications include short stories, short plays, interactive plays, alternate reality games, and more. Visit Irene's work on NPX at https://newplayexchange.org/users/3605/irene-l-pynn.
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Jena Rashid
Jena graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BA in Theatre Studies and a minor in music. She’s worked as a stage manager, director, playwright, actor and other roles throughout her career. Since she graduated, she has interned at Orlando Shakes and Florida Studio Theatre and currently works with Jobsite Theater as a Producing Associate. Jena is also an affiliated artist of the National New Play Network and currently works full time with Orlando Shakes. In addition, she still writes plays when she can, and her works can be found on the NewPlayExchange.org. Currently she’ll be playing Ori in Whiskey Theatre Factory’s upcoming production of Slaymaker. Favorite credits include Everyone’s Fine with Virginia Woolf (Honey) and PUFFS (Megan) at Theatre South Playhouse.
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Katie Thayer
LEGACY COLLECTIVE MEMBER
Bio forthcoming!
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Logan Turner
LEGACY COLLECTIVE MEMBER
Bio forthcoming!
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Reese Twilla
Bio forthcoming!
2025/2026 Artistic Associates
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Taylor Byerly
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Marisa Davis
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Gabriella Headley
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Sara Jacobson
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Weston Allen Kemp
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Sandi Linn
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Melissa Manrique
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Katherine Riley
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Bet Tauscher
Board of Directors
Lisa Hardt
ChairLisa Hardt is seasoned development and fundraising professional with over a decade of administrative experience in Central Florida’s nonprofit arts and culture community. Lisa serves as the Senior Grants Manager at the Orlando Science Center, and previously worked in development positions at Orlando Shakes and Orlando Fringe. Lisa received her BFA in Stage Management from Virginia Commonwealth University, and has locally stage managed productions and events with Orlando Shakes, Florida Theatrical Association, Come Out with Pride, WeFlip Entertainment, and BlueLaLa Events. In 2023, Lisa co-produced Multitudes at Orlando Fringe, which won both Patrons’ Pick and Critics Choice awards and was nominated for the 18th Annual International Fringe Encore Series.
Monica Cross
Vice ChairMonica Cross is a Florida native turned Wisconsin-based playwright. She has extensive experience on stage and off, with a background in arts admin. Her plays have been produced by Silk Moth Stage, Theatre@First, the Players Centre, and the Hippodrome. She has also had the fortune to have several of her plays developed through various Whiskey Theatre Factory new play development programs. Her work has made her a finalist for Wisconsin Wrights and a semifinalist for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. She has been a John Ringling Towers Individual Artist Grant recipient and a Fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. Monica’s most recent work includes: Creation: A Frankenstein Story and Alignment. She is thrilled to be the Vice Chair of the WTF Board, and looks forward to supporting this amazing community of artists.
Clark Levi
SecretaryClark Levi (any/all) is a fundraiser, producer/creator for theatre, film and online content located in Philadelphia, and a longtime “Fringer” as artist, intern and staff member for Orlando Fringe. While living in Orlando, they created art and events under their company name, “Lightup Shoebox”, with a mission of encouraging people of all backgrounds to collaborate, discover and take action through art. This included producing and directing Moira Buffini’s “Silence”, leading a weekly open-to-all artistic club “Play Date”, as well as creating and/or producing world premieres such as TAWC-TTOTS, Ink Addicted, The Devil’s Coda and Carmilla: An American Gothic. They were also the producer for Orlando’s annual event Play-In-A-Day for 2 years (formerly produced by Beth Marshall Presents) and Dickens by Candlelight for 3 years with Three Hats Studios/RS&C. They’ve led workshops on devising, writing, and collaborative creation with Orlando Fringe, Florida Theatre Conference, Central Florida Community Arts, Timucua Arts Foundation, Beth Marshall Presents, and more. They're most excited by theatre for social change, devising, community based arts, reinventing old works, creating new pieces, art festivals of all kinds, and everything WTF stands for!
Bethany Dickens Assaf
TreasurerBethany Dickens Assaf is an independent playwright and theatre-maker who has produced over 50 shows, staged readings, and play festivals. She is also a seasoned nonprofit administrator and grant writer with over 15 years of experience, winning awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, United Arts of Central Florida, the City of Orlando, Orange County, the Disney Foundation, the Universal Foundation, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation, and more.
Dickens Assaf is proud to be a founding member of Whiskey Theatre Factory, where she produced programs and productions for five years. She is now excited to join the WTF Board as Treasurer and utilize her nonprofit skills to guide the organization into the future.
Manuel Solis-Bauza
At Large
A born and raised Puerto Rican native, Manuel Solis-Bauza is a graduate of the Rollins College class of 2020, having acquired a BA in Theatre Studies and Communication Theory. Seen on the Rollins stage as Shu Fu in Good Person of Setzuan and Solomon in Speech and Debate, Manuel has recently performed in a variety of acclaimed Central Florida shows such as Nick in The Wingman, produced by New Generation Theatrical, Nelson in Our Lady of the Tortilla, produced by Descolonizarte Teatro, and most recently as Kennedy in The Vast of Darkness, produced by Whiskey Theatre Factory and voted as Critics' Choice for Best Drama at Orlando Fringe 2023.
When he's not on stage, Manuel can be found working as a public relations specialist with Curley & Pynn, the strategic public relations firm. Manuel is proud of his heritage, culture, and most importantly his family who's been incredibly supportive of his career and passions. ¡Pa'lante!
Leah Porrata
At LargeLeah holds a Bachelor of Arts and teaching certification in Theatre Education and Directing from Ohio Wesleyan University. Following her studies, Leah completed a Theatre Education apprenticeship at Cleveland Play House in Ohio, then relocated to Florida as the Director of Education at regional theatre Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples before moving to Orlando. Leah has just begun her tenth year as Artistic Director of Youth Theatre at Central Florida Community Arts (CFCArts.) In addition to their work in the Central Florida theatre community, Leah and her husband Jason enjoy being supporters of Orlando City Soccer, members of Lake Baldwin Church, and parents to their son Marcelo and daughter Luisa.