The Production Team

Eleanor Hammond grew up writing pop songs on guitar in her bedroom and performing in various high school theatrical productions. Fantasizing one day about writing a musical, she jumped at the opportunity to tell the story of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and her journey to liberation and self-discovery. After being immersed in early 20th century New York City for 9 months, Eleanor got to know the two contrasting worlds of the bohemian, radical artists of the time, and how that contrasted from the rich and unattainable Vanderbilt society. She cannot wait for you to witness the two worlds colliding in her debut original musical, Walls, and for important historical characters to finally be heard.

Aoife O’Connor is a senior undergraduate music major here at UC Berkeley and is originally from Belfast, Ireland. She has assistant directed for Oliver! with the Northern Ireland School of Music and Theatre and Bugsy Malone and Oliver! with De La Salle High School, but WALLS will be her directorial debut. Primarily a performer, she earned her diploma from the London College of Music in Musical Theatre Performance in 2015, and over her Berkeley career has been involved in the University Chorus, Chamber Choir, Wind Ensemble, the California Golden Overtones, Berkeley Film Friends and CalTV.

Kaitlin Weinstein is a second year English and Theater double major at UC Berkeley with a passion for technical theater and design. She fell in love with WALLS the first time she heard the music and knew that she had to be a part of the production. She feels so grateful that she has the opportunity to stage manage an incredible new musical with such a talented cast and production team.

A junior in Theater and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, Benjamin Arsenault originally got his start in videogame production. Since making the transition to the world of theater, he has acted in several performances and developed a passion for directing and, on top of serving as assistant director for WALLS, he is also directing the TDPS production of Silence by Harold Pinter. Benjamin has found great joy in the challenges and opportunities of developing a new musical and highly appreciates the chance to collaborate with the fantastic direction of Aoife O'Connor as well as the wonderfully talented cast and crew of WALLS.

Jennifer Liu is a fourth year majoring in Music and Business Administration, and she's excited to work on her very first musical theater production! She grew up playing piano and is currently studying voice and conducting. She enjoys arranging a cappella pieces, working with singers, learning new languages and watching anime.

Karla Saracay has a background in dance and musical theatre. Her dance training includes folklorico, hip hop, and modern dance. WALLS will be the first musical she is choreographing and she hopes to incorporate different styles of movement from her background and the actors’ backgrounds to create diverse choreography.

Kellyann is a second year majoring in Theater & Performance Studies and squinting in the general direction of a double major in Computer Science. Kellyann did one (1) theatrical thing as a stagehand for TDPS' fall 2017 production of Metamorphoses and has since plunged into the world of theater with, gusto. These days, Kellyann spends a lot of time drawing cubes and ogling wayward pallets in the streets of Berkeley.

Eleanor is a third year Berkeley student majoring in English and minoring in Gender and Women's Studies. Her costuming experience ranges from personal cosplay projects to working on short films and play productions. She loves crafting, fandom, cats, and hot glue guns!

Xuewei Hu is a senior student in UC Berkeley majoring in Theater and Performance Studies. She has participated in school productions as a lighting designer in the Fall Choreo Showcase 2018 and Student One Act 2019. She is extremely excited to work with WALLS to continue making creative works in theater productions.

William Mullen is a second year student studying Computer Science. He first got interested in musicals through the pit band in his high school productions and is thrilled to be the Sound Designer for WALLS. In his spare time, he can usually be found reading, playing video games, or on the climbing wall.

Beatriz Hernandez is currently a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Media Studies. As a writer and actor, Beatriz has worked to research and tell real and relatable stories of underrepresented and marginalized groups in the media, and is so excited for opportunity to combine her passions for storytelling, diversity, and representation as the Dramaturge for WALLS. Post-college, she hopes to continue on her artistic journey and eventually produce her own original work.

Julia Malinow is a second-year student at UC Berkeley, studying Performing Arts and American Studies. She has been surrounded by graphic designers and artists her whole life, and has adopted graphic design as one of her many hobbies. She feels extremely grateful to be able to market and design for such an unique show like WALLS.

Julian is currently a junior at UC Berkeley and plans to graduate with a BA in Economics. He has always been consumed by all aspects of the entertainment industry, however he is especially fond of film, television and theater. Upon graduation he plans to pursue a career as a Talent Agent in Los Angeles.

Dina is a third year biology major at Cal. She has loved being a part of the production team this semester as WALLS makes it debut. She has been a part of theater and performances since she was a child and loves the way art can express emotion and create understanding.

Jo is a first year English and Comparative Literature double major. She has been involved with theater and the arts for as long as she can remember. She is incredibly excited about this production because the show is such an inspiring story for every artist out there.