Meet Our Team

Staff

Nicole Stodard | Founding/Producing Artistic Director
Nicole Stodard, Ph.D., is the founding Artistic Director of Thinking Cap Theatre (TCT) as well as a stage director, designer, educator, and writer. A Full Member of SDC, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Nicole has directed and designed more than 50 productions. Distinctions include South Florida Carbonell Nominations for Best Director, Best Sound Design, and Best Costume Design; two Silver Palm Awards for Best Direction; and three NEW TIMES “Best Director” Awards. In addition to her work with TCT, Nicole is VP of Theater Programming and Operations for Hollywood Art and Culture Center, where she recently helmed All the World’s a Stage, a new classical theater program for youth that was made possible in part by an Arts REACH grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Nicole also teaches writing in the Department of Communications, Media, and the Arts at Nova Southeastern University and contributed a chapter on gender and sexuality in playwright Maria Irene Fornés’s life and work to a book on Fornés just published in August 2025 by Cambridge University.

NICOLE STODARD Ph.D. Artistic Director

Bree-Anna Obst | Managing Director
Bree-Anna Obst is Managing Director of TCT, though she wears many other hats for TCT, including helming lighting, projection, and sound design. An Australian native, Bree-Anna has performed on some of the world’s leading stages including Shakespeare’s Globe (London, UK), The Lincoln Center (New York, USA), The New Victory Theatre (New York, USA), The Kennedy Center (Washington, USA), and Hi Seoul Festival (Korea). Other recent acting credits include Eva in Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Women of Wilton), Oscar in The Importance of Being Oscar (Thinking Cap Theatre), Connie in Dance Nation (Thinking Cap Theatre), Cordelia/Fool in King Lear (Thinking Cap Theatre), Clown in Emperor of the Moon (Thinking Cap Theatre), Feste in Twelfth Night (New City Players), Amy in Soundbite: South Beach (The Project [theatre]), Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Miami), and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Miami). Bree-Anna also works as Director of Performing Arts at Miami Children’s Museum where she manages and directs the Museum’s Theater Troupe, which received the South Florida Theatre League’s 2019 “Remy Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Theatre.”

Bree-Anna Obst Managing Director

Board

Naldo Raphael | Board President
Naldo Raphael relocated to South Florida in 2015 and has supported Thinking Cap Theatre since first being introduced to the organization in 2017. With over 20 years of experience in youth education and community-based programming, Naldo has dedicated his career to creating meaningful, inclusive learning experiences through the arts.

He currently serves as Arts Education Manager at the Hollywood Art and Culture Center, overseeing programs and events that engage young people and the broader community. In addition to his work in arts education, Naldo is a board member of the Hollywood Beach Business Association, a member of the Broward Football Officials Association, and a proud Leadership Hollywood, Class 48 participant. Outside of work, Naldo enjoys playing beach volleyball, cycling, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Naldo Raphael Board President

Carey Brianna Hart | Vice President
Carey Brianna Hart is a graduate of the New World School of the Arts and the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University. Carey has worked at the on stage and backstage in productions by African American Performing Arts Community Theatre, AreaStage, City Theatre, Ebeneezer
Productons, Femuscripts, GableStage, Hued Songs, Illuminarts, M Ensemble Theatre Company, Mad Cat, Main Street Players, New City Players, New Theatre, Thinking Cap Theatre, the Vinnette Carroll Theatre and the Women’s Theatre Project. She has directed productions of Crowns, How I Learned What I Learned, The Equivalent of Sensation, TopDog UnderDog, Shakespeare is a White Supremacist, Blues For An Alabama Sky and Other Side of America (film). Carey hosts a weekly radio show on WMBM 1490 AM about Art in South Florida.

Carey Brianna Hart Vice President

Ayiece Moretto-Watkins | Secretary
A South Florida native, Alyiece has worked as a Scenic Artist and Scenic Designer for local professional and educational venues since 2009. In 2016, she became the Resident Scenic Designer for Thinking Cap Theatre. Her most recent set design credits include The Taming of the Shrew (TCT), All In The Timing for American Heritage School and The Berlin Diaries for Theatre Lab. Alyiece is a Technical Theatre Faculty member at American Heritage Schools where she teaches Scenic Painting, Scenic Design, Stage Management, and Publicity for Theatre.

Alyiece Moretto-Watkins Secretary

Bree-Anna Obst | Treasurer (Ex Officio)
Bree-Anna Obst is Managing Director of TCT, though she wears many other hats for TCT, including helming lighting, projection, and sound design. An Australian native, Bree-Anna has performed on some of the world’s leading stages including Shakespeare’s Globe (London, UK), The Lincoln Center (New York, USA), The New Victory Theatre (New York, USA), The Kennedy Center (Washington, USA), and Hi Seoul Festival (Korea). Other recent acting credits include Eva in Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (Women of Wilton), Oscar in The Importance of Being Oscar (Thinking Cap Theatre), Connie in Dance Nation (Thinking Cap Theatre), Cordelia/Fool in King Lear (Thinking Cap Theatre), Clown in Emperor of the Moon (Thinking Cap Theatre), Feste in Twelfth Night (New City Players), Amy in Soundbite: South Beach (The Project [theatre]), Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Miami), and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Miami). Bree-Anna also works as Director of Performing Arts at Miami Children’s Museum where she manages and directs the Museum’s Theater Troupe, which received the South Florida Theatre League’s 2019 “Remy Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Theatre.”

Bree-Anna Obst Treasurer (Ex Officio)

Kevin Black | Director

Kevin Black Director

Nicole Stodard | Director (Ex Officio)
Nicole Stodard, Ph.D., is the founding Artistic Director of Thinking Cap Theatre (TCT) as well as a stage director, designer, educator, and writer. A Full Member of SDC, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Nicole has directed and designed more than 50 productions. Distinctions include South Florida Carbonell Nominations for Best Director, Best Sound Design, and Best Costume Design; two Silver Palm Awards for Best Direction; and three NEW TIMES “Best Director” Awards. In addition to her work with TCT, Nicole is VP of Theater Programming and Operations for Hollywood Art and Culture Center, where she recently helmed All the World’s a Stage, a new classical theater program for youth that was made possible in part by an Arts REACH grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Nicole also teaches writing in the Department of Communications, Media, and the Arts at Nova Southeastern University and contributed a chapter on gender and sexuality in playwright Maria Irene Fornés’s life and work to a book on Fornés just published in August 2025 by Cambridge University.

Nicole Stodard Director (Ex Officio)

William Fernandez | Director

William is a former newspaper editor who has spent the last 12 years producing theater and movies. Among his many awards are a Pulitzer, a Tony, a Drama Desk Award, 3 Emmy nominations and one Grammy nomination. On Broadway, William co-produced such hits as The Inheritance, American Son, Frankie and Johnny at the Claire de Lune, and Mrs.Doubtfire. Other works include Anastasia, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Once on this Island. Off Broadway, he produced Unexpected Joy and The Gospel According to Heather and was the lead producer on As I eat the World at The Tank. He has developed and produced plays at major regional theatres in Atlanta, Chicago and Austin. He has also produced theater in London and in his hometown of Miami, where the immersive play Amparo enjoyed a record breaking 9-month long run. In film, he has executive produced Jon Garcia’s horror hit Summoning the Spirit, Borrowed, the mini-series Forever/After, Red Light and The Magnificet Mendez.

William Fernandez Director

Company Members

Therese Adelina | Company Member

Therese Adelina is thrilled to be a Thinking Cap Theatre. She is a local Miami based actress.  Credits include, Thinking Cap Theatre's All the Natalie Portmans, Juggernaut Theatre’s Miami Bus Stop Stories: Tropical Dreams, City Theatre’s Summer Shorts 2024 at the Arsht Center, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, and Stuart Little at Actors Playhouse. Therese was recently featured as a ‘hidden gem’ in VoyageMIA’s “Inspiring Stories” series, and you can be on the lookout for her performance in the feature film Twinkle Twinkle, directed by Harmony Korine. Her voice has been used in over a dozen movies & cartoons. Therese feels reenergized after singing for children in her day job, making films with her boyfriend Brandon, and drinking cafe bustelo. IG: @therese.adelina

Therese Adelina Company Member

Logan Green | Company Member
Logan Green, BFA in Musical Theatre is a first-generation African-American. They were born and raised in Hollywood, Florida by Jamaican immigrants. They have been singing their whole life, beginning their journey in the arts in church singing with family at the age of 10, and burgeoning their way into the theatre in high school.

Logan Green Company Member

Carey Brianna Hart | Company Member
Carey Brianna Hart is a graduate of the New World School of the Arts and the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University. Carey has worked at the on stage and backstage in productions by African American Performing Arts Community Theatre, AreaStage, City Theatre, Ebeneezer
Productons, Femuscripts, GableStage, Hued Songs, Illuminarts, M Ensemble Theatre Company, Mad Cat, Main Street Players, New City Players, New Theatre, Thinking Cap Theatre, the Vinnette Carroll Theatre and the Women’s Theatre Project. She has directed productions of Crowns, How I Learned What I Learned, The Equivalent of Sensation, TopDog UnderDog, Shakespeare is a White Supremacist, Blues For An Alabama Sky and Other Side of America (film). Carey hosts a weekly radio show on WMBM 1490 AM about Art in South Florida.

Carey Brianna Hart Company Member

Breanna Michel | Company Member
Breanna Michel is a performing and teaching artist based in Miami, FL. She has a B.F.A. in ‘Theatre Performance: Music Theatre’ from University of Florida’s New World School of the Arts. Breanna began working with Thinking Cap briefly after graduation as an Assistant Stage Manager for LoveSong in October 2024. Since then, she has taken on other roles that include helping with social media and even starring in their season productions (‘All the Natalie Portmans’, ‘Cymbeline’, & Staged Readings).

Breanna Michel Company Member

Ayiece Moretto-Watkins | Resident Scenic Designer
A South Florida native, Alyiece has worked as a Scenic Artist and Scenic Designer for local professional and educational venues since 2009. In 2016, she became the Resident Scenic Designer for Thinking Cap Theatre. Her most recent set design credits include The Taming of the Shrew (TCT), All In The Timing for American Heritage School and The Berlin Diaries for Theatre Lab. Alyiece is a Technical Theatre Faculty member at American Heritage Schools where she teaches Scenic Painting, Scenic Design, Stage Management, and Publicity for Theatre.

Ayiece Moretto-Watkins Resident Scenic Designer

Christopher Ross-Dybash | Company Member
Christopher made his debut with TCT in May of 2026 in Wink (Dr. Frans). While new to the Hollywood area, he has performed in numerous shows in the Wilton Manors area, including: Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays (The Revision & Strange Fruit); Scenes from my Love Life (Isaac); A Shonda (Duvid), Falsettos (Whizzer); Afterglow (Josh); and Minnie Behind Bars (Daryl Lee Longstaff/ Detective Bruce Goodwood). Originally from Detroit, the rest of his credits are as varied as his collection of bracelets from ports he's visited and eyeglass frames. When not onstage, Christopher spends his time working for corporate shoreside for Royal Caribbean Entertainment.

Christopher Ross-Dybash Company Member

Mitch Silverman | Company Member
Mitch received his B.A. in General Studies from New College of Florida, on a trivia scholarship. He received his Master of Science in Library and Information Studies from Florida State University in 2008, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. He is a sustaining member of Beta Phi Mu, the international library and information studies honor society, a member of the National Coalition of Independent Scholars, and a member of the Ukrainian Library Association (since March 2022). He has worked as a researcher and consultant since 1989, and has been an academic research librarian since 2009. Mitch is a published, award-winning writer. In February 2014, his essay “Keep Writing” won the Pooling All Artists competition, a joint project of Thinking Cap Theatre and Miami’s The Krane arts and theatre organization. He is delighted to be a part of his favorite theatre company.

Mitch Silverman Company Member

Patrick Watkins | Company Member
Patrick Watkins is a theatre director, music director, and performer with extensive experience leading high-level secondary and community performing arts programs. He currently serves as the Theatre Director at Spanish River Community High School, where he is known for producing ambitious, visually striking work on limited budgets while maintaining strong artistic and educational standards. His directing credits include Shrek, The Addams Family, The Lightning Thief, The Little Mermaid, Freaky Friday, and The SpongeBob Musical.

In addition to directing, Patrick is an accomplished music director and vocalist, regularly coaching performers in vocal technique, ensemble work, and character-driven storytelling. He brings a multidisciplinary approach to production, blending music, movement, design, and narrative into cohesive theatrical experiences. Patrick is passionate about program-building, mentoring young artists, and creating performance environments that challenge students to work with professionalism, discipline, and creative courage.

Patrick Watkins Company Member

Sergio Tamayo | Company Member
Sergio has appeared in several recent TCT productions, including Cymbeline and WINK. He is a BFA graduate with a degree in musical theatre from the University of Florida. He is an actor, writer, and musician who loves collaborating and bringing important stories to life, especially those that come from marginalized voices.

Sergio Tamayo Company Member

Jamilka (Gene)Villalba | Company Member
Meet Jamilka, though you might know them better as Gene (they/them)! They are excited to be a member of the TCT Company! Though they've been an intern for Thinking Cap for almost a year now, debuting as an ASM intern in "All the Natalie Portmans," their first introduction to Thinking Cap was back in 2022 when directors Nicole and Bree-Anna did a youth project, "The Importance of Being Me." Four years have passed, and that shy 17 year old is now in college, aiming to get their Bachelor's in Design, Technology & Management at FIU. They are hardworking, kind, and put their heart into every show they do.

Jamilka (Gene) Villalba Company Member