The Roustabouts
Mission Statement
At The Roustabouts Theatre Company, we spark joy, ignite imaginations, inspire action, and push forward humanity and empathy through bold new visions of classics, contemporary gems from Broadway & Off-Broadway, and fresh original works. We shine a spotlight on San Diego’s vibrant, diverse talent—actors, directors, designers, and playwrights—who bring our stories to life.
Education is central to our purpose. From youth productions to expert-led discussions and free ticket programs, we connect with communities of all ages and backgrounds, creating theatre that’s not just seen, but felt.
Join us for a journey that’s as exciting as it is meaningful, as bold as it is thrilling!
"We celebrate the artists and draw from the excellent talents of actors, playwrights, directors, and designers who live in our region. The best plays for you, matched up with the best local creative people. Every artist should have means to express themselves."
Phil Johnson, Artistic Director & Founding Partner
"Theatre lives in the moment. It embodies the risk and suspense of real human drama. When I watch a play I take it personally. I feel a relationship with every character. Theatre more than imitates life; each performance of a play needs hearts to beat, lungs to breathe, and muscles to move. It brings to life on stage a world of the imagination, but it also recreates in us, as we enter into it, new worlds of possibility, new ways of knowing and being."
Will Cooper, Founding Partner
Meet The Roustabouts
Phil Johnson
Artistic Director & Founding Partner
Phil Johnson is the Artistic Director and proud co-founder of The Roustabouts Theatre Co. As an actor/writer, his solo show,
A Jewish Joke
(co-written with Marni Freedman) ran locally, regionally, as well as Off-Broadway in March 2019. His other shows include
Roosevelt: Charge the Bear, Withering Heights, She-Rantulas from Outer Space in 3D!, and
The Hound of the Baskervilles. Phil played in
Les Misérables on Broadway and on tour, in the Canadian production of
Sunset Boulevard, and in the 1st National Co. of
Miss Saigon. He is a two-time winner of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for acting. He regularly performs at local theatres including North Coast Rep, The Old Globe, Diversionary Theatre, Lambs, and Cygnet Theatre. Local directing credits include SD Playwrights Project and Scripps Ranch Theatre. He teaches and produces a Solo Show Workshop and Celebration of New Writers readings for writers/performers that are part of The Roustabouts season.
philjohnson.net
Will Cooper
Dramaturg & Founding Partner
Will Cooper is a playwright based in San Diego and Chicago and co-founder of The Roustabouts Theatre Co. His plays Book of Leaves, Jade Heart and Margin of Error received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Jade Heart was last produced at San Diego’s award-winning MOXIE Theatre in 2014. His drama Margin of Error kicked off The Roustabouts' premiere season at the Lyceum Theatre in downtown San Diego and was selected as "Critic's Choice" by The San Diego Union-Tribune. It was also chosen as a Best Play finalist in the 2017 Craig Noel Critics Circle Awards. Following its run, the play was honored to be read at UCSD as a teaching tool of the Departments of Philosophy, Theatre, and Ethics & Sciences. Will is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. willcooperplaywright.com
Rebecca Crigler
General Manager
Rebecca Crigler has been helping others tell their stories for over 15 years. She has held general management and company management titles on productions all over North America, working on commercial ventures and with nonprofits such as the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation, The New Group, New Light Theater Project, and The Roustabouts Theatre Co. In New York, Rebecca also dabbles as a playwright, an actor, and a producer of new works. She garnered New York Innovative Theatre Award and Lortel Award nominations for co-producing Whirlwind at The Wild Project and Mike Birbiglia’s The New One at Cherry Lane Theatre, respectively.
Cristyn Chandler
Associate Producer
Cristyn is an award-winning actor, audition coordinator, and patron services coordinator. In 2001 Cristyn Chandler started taking acting classes at the Old Globe Theater which moved her into a long love of theater. San Diego has a wonderful theater community and she has graced many San Diego stages. She also works as an audition and marketing coordinator for Scripps Ranch Theater. She began her film career by participating in the national organization,
48 Hour Film Project. One of her films,
The Heiress Lethal, went on to win city, state, and national recognition, sending the film ultimately to the Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, Cristyn was cast in a recurring role on the short-lived television show, “Terriers-FX”. Cristyn continued to star in short films and in 2018 won a “Best Supporting Actress” San Diego Film Award for the film
Isabel. She continues to act in short films, TV, commercials and theater as much as possible!
Cassidy Bartolomei
Marketing Director
A poet, producer, dancer, and director, Cassidy thrives on pushing artistic boundaries and creating spaces where creativity can flourish. Whether through film, live performance, or community-driven projects, she’s passionate about amplifying new voices and unexpected stories. Her recent producing work includes Hi-Desert Comedy Campout, San Diego Halloween Film Festival, and the Makers & Muses series, each a celebration of artistic risk, radical collaboration, and a good time well-earned. Cassidy also brings over a decade of experience in marketing and creative campaign strategy, helping arts organizations and independent projects grow their reach with bold, authentic storytelling. As Marketing Director at The Roustabouts, she fuses excellent programming with intentional outreach to make space for more people to feel at home in the theatre.
Ted Leib
Production Manager
Ted joins Roustabouts after a seven-year stint as producing artistic director for Oceanside Theatre Company where he produced a wide range of plays and musicals, including critically acclaimed productions of Red, Sweet Charity, Deathtrap, Welcome To Sleepy Hollow, and Man of La Mancha. Ted is also a director (most recently: Fully Committed at Scripps Ranch Theatre), sound designer, projection designer, and actor.
Christine Martinez
Public Relations
Christine Martinez handles public relations for some of San Diego's most respected arts and culture organizations including the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, Arts+Culture:San Diego, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego Ballet, the VAPA Foundation (Visual and Performing Arts), Project [BLANK], and Art of Elan. She started in broadcast news as a producer before managing public relations in-house for Orlando Health, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando and Sharp Healthcare in San Diego. Today, her passion is to connect her clients with local, regional, national and trade media to amplify their work in the community, to garner exposure and political and financial support for their causes.
Christine has strong ties with the local media - her husband is a news anchor - and she is well known in the arts community, having served as the public spokesperson for the advocacy effort for more arts funding through the City of San Diego. She is a huge fan of live theatre and performing arts, and can be seen taking in a concert or a new art installation most weekends with her husband and two children.
Julie Ustin
Volunteer Coordinator
Deborah Pantoni
Volunteer Coordinator
Additional TRTC Support Staff
Mance Creatives Graphic Design & Production Artwork
Daren Scott Photography
Sal Cicalese House Manager
Ali Terrill Accountant
Michael McCarron Partner
Devon Neubauer Technology & Website
TRTC Board Of Directors
Gerard J. Buckley, President
Phil Johnson
Mike McCarron
Will Cooper
Roy Sekigahama
Laurie Gore
Dr. Neha Trivedi
TRTC Advisory Board
Vishal Bansal, MD Chief of Trauma Surgery Scripps Mercy San Diego
Tom Haine Lawyer
Jill G. Hall Author
Dea Hurston Philanthropist and Retired San Diego County Arts Commissioner
Marjory Kaplan
Consultant and Retired Foundation President
Sheryl Rowling MBA, CPA/PFS Rowling & Associates Wealth Management
Jeff Silberman Real Estate Developer
Karen Silberman Philanthropist
Dr. Lynne Thrope
Reading Therapist & Education Consultant and Founder of The Reading Room
Awards & Accolades
Winner - Best Drama
United Solo Theatre Festival 2016
A Jewish Joke
Critic’s Choice
San Diego Union-Tribune
Margin of Error
Best New Theatre Company 2017
San Diego Magazine
Best In Show 2017
San Diego CityBeat
Margin of Error
Nomination - Outstanding New Play
San Diego Theatre Critics Circle
Margin of Error
"End of Year Wrap"
Pat Launer, CenterStage