• Micah Brooks

    Micah Brooks acts all over DFW as much as possible at theatres including Stage West, Circle Theatre, Casa Mañana, Theatre Arlington, Dallas Children’s Theatre, Forehouse Theatre, Imprint Theatreworks, Watertower Theatre, Theatre 3, and Uptown Players. He loves making things, mostly making things up, he’s never been fired from Saturday Night Live, and he’s glad your here and laughing so hard and loud. 

  • Leslie Collins

    Leslie has been performing in theater, film, TV, commercials, voiceovers, musical improv and sketch comedy for over 20 years.  She trained with incredible teachers from the Upright Citizens Brigade-NY, The Peoples Improv Theater, Groundlings and the Magnet Theater. She went on to perform on house teams at UCB-NY, the PIT, Magnet, Annoyance Theater, and with world renowned musical improv troupe, Baby Wants Candy. After living in NYC and Los Angeles for many years, Leslie moved back home and jumped into the vibrant theater scene of Dallas and Ft Worth. In the few years that she has been home, Leslie has performed numerous shows at Dallas Children's Theater, Circle Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Casa Manana, WaterTower Theatre, Uptown Players, and Theatre Three. She continues to perform and teach improv all over DFW and leads corporate improv workshops all over the US. 

  • Janina Jaraczewski

    Janina Jaraczewski (she/her) Janina is a Filipino-Polish based actor here in the DFW area. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a BFA in Musical Theatre with a Minor in Dance. Some of Janina’s favorite credits include Phoebe/Le Beau in AS YOU LIKE IT with Shakespeare Live!, Marianne in IMPOSTER! HYPOCRITE! TARTUFFE! at Circle Theatre, and the Doormouse in ALICE IN WONDERLAND at Theatre Arlington. You can follow Janina’s acting journey on janinajaraczewski.com.

  • Shaina Stigler

    Shaina grew up in the community theatre world of El Paso, TX. At 18 she moved to NYC to study musical theatre at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. While in the city she trained in long form and musical improv and performed on the stages of The Magnet Theatre, The People’s Improv Theatre and UCB NY. 

  • Tony Stride

    Meet our musical director, Anthony Nagid, also known as Tony Stride, a first-call player in the DFW music scene. Legend has it that Tony has played every key on the piano over 10,000 times! Since 2018, he has been a McKinney Arts Commission grant recipient, serving as the executive producer for captivating shows like The Vintage Piano Hour and Jazz at The Comedy Arena. He has been a music director for Carnival Cruise Lines, Four Day Weekend, and he showcases his keyboard prowess as a member of the viral internet sensation 'There I Ruined It, Live’! Not just limited to performing, Anthony is an author and educator via his popular music education platform, Piano Dojo.

  • Chris Sanders

    Chris Sanders is Dallas resident, originally from NJ. Chris has trained in improv since undergrad at Kean University in the twenty oughts, and continued training throughout NJ, NYC, and Texas. Chris has had training in CommediabDel Arte, short form, long form, and musical improv. Chris has performed and taught improv around Dallas county and is excited to return to the improv scene with TMM.

  • Billy Betsill

    Mr. Betsill has been performing scripted works for decades, including several shows here at Runway. He started his improv journey in middle school, almost at the same time as he was introduced to theatre. He immediately fell in love with the spontaneity and creativity that improv required. He continued to do improv throughout school, but didn’t pursue it in earnest until about 15 years ago. And he has performed with several improv troupes throughout DFW over the years. Narrative musical improv is his newest love, and if you have never seen top notch narrative musical improv, you are missing out! It combines his love of musicals, and his love of improv, and he hopes you get as much joy out of watching it, as he does performing it. He greatly appreciates Runway Theatre for the opportunity to bring Totally Made-up Musical to its patrons. He also sends much love to his dazzling wife Alli and their fluffy doodle Frankie. Enjoy the show and SHOUT OUT those suggestions!

From Director, Amy Jackson:

I first discovered Love Letters years ago when I saw Alan Alda would star in a production. Alan Alda is my favorite actor and meeting him sits proudly at number two on my bucket list. I didn’t make it to that performance, but the piece stayed with me. Years later, during COVID, I stumbled back into Love Letters in a very different way. Paige Davis, another favorite of mine, presented it online alongside Doug, her good friend and a designer from Trading Spaces. I was struck again by how powerful the piece is, even in its most stripped-down form. Two people. Words on a page. A lifetime unfolding.

Traditionally, Love Letters is performed with two actors seated at a single table, reading letters aloud. For this presentation, we decided to dress it up just a bit and lean into something that feels very “Runway.” This format, featuring four real-life couples across four performances, was inspired by Cole Grissom, and I’m so grateful for his suggestion. It opened the door to something really special.

To our four couples, thank you for trusting this material and for sharing pieces of yourselves with our audience. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside you in many different ways at Runway over the years, but watching you bring these letters to life has been a special sort of joy.

I also want to thank my wonderful husband for jumping into this adventure with me. While I’m directing Love Letters, we’re also both deeply involved in Young Frankenstein, and somehow he still said yes to the adventure. We have our own unique love story, but my favorite part of it is how it began, much like the characters in this play, with a deep and enduring friendship.

Speaking of, thank you to so many friends who showed up in a thousand different ways to help pull this together,

And to you, our audience, thank you for sharing your holiday with us and for supporting Runway Theatre. We’re so glad you’re here, and we hope these stories resonate long after the letters end.

From Runway’s President of the Board, John Grissom:

Thank you for choosing to spend part of your Valentine’s weekend with us at Runway Theatre. Love Letters is a special kind of storytelling: intimate, honest, and deeply human. This production is especially meaningful because it brings together four real-life Runway couples, each offering their own unique connection, history, and voice to these words.

I want to extend heartfelt thanks to Rick and Patsy Daussat, Jeremy Ferman and Emilie Buske-Ferman, Greg Phillips and Emily-Ann Moriarty-Phillips, and Woody and Noelle Salter for stepping into the spotlight in such a personal way. Sharing a story like this takes trust, vulnerability, and generosity, and we are so grateful for each of you.

I also want to recognize the incredible crew behind the scenes who helped make this fundraiser possible. Presenting four distinct performances across one weekend is no small feat, and their creativity, flexibility, and dedication ensured each audience experienced something truly special.

Most of all, thank you for being here. Because this is a fundraiser, your presence tonight directly supports the work we do...maintaining our space, investing in improvements, and continuing to tell stories that bring people together. Choosing to spend your holiday with Runway means more than you know, and we're all deeply thankful for your generosity and belief in our creative home.

I'd be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to remind you there is so much more ahead this season. We hope you’ll join us in March for our spring musical, Young Frankenstein, and be sure to mark your calendar for our 42nd Season reveal event in April, where we’ll share what’s coming next to our stage.

Runway Theatre exists because of its patrons, volunteers, artists, and supporters. We're a creative family who shows up for one another again and again. Being part of this community, and getting to share nights like this with you, is one of the great joys of my life.

Thank you for loving this place as much as I do. Enjoy the show.