Acting Company

Fiasco Theater is an acting company at its core, and we are dedicated to a collaborative, ensemble-based approach to making theater.

We believe that storytelling is an act of collective imagination, and our work is intentionally actor-driven and joyful. This philosophy means that our creative process centers on empowering every artist in the room and giving them agency to contribute their unique voice. Through this shared ownership and a commitment to a rigorous yet supportive rehearsal environment, we create dynamic and deliberate theatrical experiences for our audiences.

Fiasco Theater Acting Company

Jessie Austrian

(she/her) is a multi-hyphenate-theater-maker, educator and parent. She is one of Fiasco’s founders and co-artistic directors. With Fiasco: Imogen, Cymbeline; Baker’s Wife, Into the Woods;Escalus/Marianna, Measure for Measure; Julia/co-director, Two Gentlemen of Verona; Balene/co-director, Imaginary Invalid; Olivia, Twelfth Night; Mary, Merrily We Roll Along; Nell, Knight of the Burning Pestle; Thaisa/Bawd, Pericles. Other credits include Broadway: The Importance of Being Earnest, Lend Me a Tenor Off-Broadway: The Marriage of Bette and Boo. Regional: The Guthrie, Emerson Colonial, Actors Theater of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, Trinity Repertory Company, Virginia Stage Company, Folger Theater, McCarter Theater, Old Globe. As a director: NYU, Playmaker’s Rep, Trinity Rep. TV/Film: Mistress America, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Made in Jersey, Máxima. Adjunct faculty at NYU Gallatin School. Favorite roles: partner to Noah and mom to Asher and Tabitha. Jessie is currently based in both NYC and Amsterdam.

Noah Brody

is an actor, director, teacher, and writer, and is a founding co-artistic director of Fiasco Theater. For Fiasco he has directed Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout, Drama Desk nom., Best Director), during which he was privileged to collaborate with Stephen Sondheim. He has co-directed The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Fiasco/Red Bull at the Lucille Lortel) and the national tour of Fiasco’s production of Into the Woods. He has co-directed and acted in Fiasco's productions of Into the Woods (McCarter, Old Globe, Roundabout, Menier Chocolate Factory, Lortel Award, best Revival), The Imaginary Invalid (Old Globe), Measure for Measure (New Victory, Long Wharf), Twelfth Night (Classic Stage), and Cymbeline (TFANA, Barrow St. Theatre), and has acted in Fiasco’s productions of Stand In (BAX Annex), Pericles (Classic Stage), Imogen Says Nothing (Connelly), and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Folger Theatre, TFANA). He directed a concert reading of Sondheim’s Saturday Night for Second Stage Theater, appeared in As You Like It (Classic Stage, John Doyle, dir.), and directed Lungs at the Wolfe Street Theatre. Writing credits include Bartleby (co-adapted with Paul L. Coffey, Old Globe commission), My Antonia (Theater Latte Da Next Generation commission with the Kilbanes and Jessie Austrian), and Pleasure Never Lies (co-conceived with Marshall Hagins, Sloan/EST commission). He teaches acting and rehearsal technique through Fiasco and the NYU Gallatin School summer Shakespeare Intensive. Lucky husband of Jessie Austrian and silly father of Asher and Tabitha.

Ben Steinfeld

(he/him) is an actor, director, teacher, writer, and musician. He is one of Fiasco Theater’s Co-Artistic Directors and founders. For Fiasco: Iachimo/Arviragus/Co-director, Cymbeline; Baker/Co-director, Into the Woods; Lucio/Froth/Co-director, Measure for Measure; Co-director, Two Gentlemen of Verona; Composer and Music Director, Imaginary Invalid; Feste/Co-director, Twelfth Night; Frank, Merrily We Roll Along; Director/Composer/Gower, Pericles. Broadway: All In: Comedy About Love, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Cyrano de Bergerac. Off-Broadway: One Thousand Nights and One Day, Bloody Bloody... Regional: Westport, Williamstown, Trinity Rep, McCarter, Old Globe, CTG, Long Wharf. As a director: Into the Woods national tour, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Folger Theatre. TV/Film: Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight, Callahan, "Power Book III: Raising Kanan", "The Deuce", "The Good Wife", "Law & Order: Crimimal Intent". Ben is writing the book for the new musical, Diamond Alice (music & lyrics by Alexander Gemignani), and has written book, music and lyrics for an adaptation of the children's book, Twelve Kinds of Ice. Since 2007, Ben has been an adjunct professor and artistic associate at NYU's Gallatin School, where he has twice received the Excellence in Teaching Award and co-directed several productions. He also teaches at Brown and Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English.

Tina Chilip

(she/her) is a Fiasco Company Member. Productions with Fiasco: Twelfth Night (co-pro with Classic Stage Company) and Knight of the Burning Pestle (co-pro with Red Bull Theater Company).  Other Off-Broadway credits: A Delicate Balance (Transport Group and NAATCO), Mothers (Playwrights Realm); Golden Child (Signature Theater); House Rules, Flipzoids (Ma-Yi Theater); A Dream Play (NAATCO). Regionally she has performed at Yale Rep, The Old Globe, Huntington Theatre, Guthrie, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Portland Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Trinity Rep, and others. TV: Jessica Jones, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Organized Crime, FBI: Most Wanted, It’s Bruno, Good Fight, Elementary, Deception, Madam Secretary. Feature Films: Nonnas (dir Stephen Chbosky), Miguel Wants to Fight (Hulu), Doctor Doctor (Apple TV). Training: MFA, Brown/Trinity Rep. Member of The Actors Center.

Paul L. Coffey

(he/him/his) is an actor, musician and Fiasco Company Member. For Fiasco: Pisano/Philario//Guiderius/Caius Lucius, Cymbeline, Malvolio, Twelfth Night, Angelo/Elbow, Measure for Measure, Speed/Thurio, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Mysterious Man, Into the Woods, Thomas Diafoirus/Beralde/Bonnefoi, The Imaginary Invalid, Joe Josephson, Merrily We Roll Along. Off-Broadway: The Taming of the Shrew. Regional: The Old Globe, McCarter Theater, Folger Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, PIg Iron Theatre Co., Berkshire Theatre Group, Vineyard Playhouse, Company of Fools, The Theater at Monmouth, Peterborough Players. TV/Film: Blue Bloods, Late Night, The Jew of Malta. Paul is husband to frequent Fiasco collaborator Liz Hayes and father to Sean Frank Coffey who made his Broadway debut at six months old in The Ferryman.

Andy Grotelueschen

(he/him) is a Fiasco Theater company member. For Fiasco: Cymbeline/Cloten, Cymbeline, Prince/Stepsister/Milky White, Into the Woods (Lortel nom), the Duke, Measure for Measure, Launce/Duke, Two Gentlemen of Verona (St. Clair Bayfield Award), Argan, Imaginary Invalid, Toby Belch, Twelfth Night, Simonedes/Bolt, Pericles; Broadway: Tootsie: the Musical (Tony nomination), The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, Cyrano de Bergerac; Off-Broadway: Assassins (CSC), Tumacho (Clubbed Thumb), Taming of the Shrew (TFANA), The Odyssey (Public Works/Delacorte), Monstrosity (13P); Regional: Willamstown, Berkeley Rep, McCarter, The Guthrie, Old Globe, Trinity Rep, Yale Rep, Long Wharf, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Folger, Shakespeare DC, American Repertory Theater. TV: The Gilded Age, Lincoln Rhyme:Hunt for the Bone Collector, Elementary, The Good Wife, The Good Cop, The Knick. Film: Disney's Snow White (voice of Sleepy), A Complete Unknown, The Legend of Juan Jose Mundo, Música, Here Today, Coin Heist, Ordinary World, Still on the Road, Tumorhead.

Devin E. Haqq

(he/him) is a Brooklyn based theatre artist, arts educator, and award-winning filmmaker. He has performed both Off-Broadway and regionally and his films have screened at numerous film festivals around the world. He has directed workshops and staffed as an associate director on productions for such organizations as The Public Theatre, The Folger, Shakespeare’s Globe, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Fiasco, and the National Black Theatre. Regional Theatre: Master Harold and the Boys at Schoolhouse Theatre (Winner - Broadwayworld Best Supporting Performer in a Play), Fiasco Theater's Measure for Measure at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, As You Like It at Arden Theatre Company. Off-Broadway: Fiasco's Pericles and Knight of the Burning Pestle, The Winning Side (World Premiere), Richard III and Macbeth at Epic Theatre Ensemble; Knives in Hens at 59E59 Theaters (NYT Critic's Pick); Much Ado About Nothing at NYSX; All God's Chillun' Got Wings at JACK. Broadway Directing Credits: Pirates! The Penzance Musical (assistant director). Other Directing Credits: Blues for an Alabama Sky at Seattle Rep (assistant director), Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Folger Theatre (associate director), Shakespeare: Call & Response at The Public Theatre (assistant director), Pass Over at Luna Stage Company, The Mark (Best Narrative Short 2021 Atlanta Shortsfest), Ambition’s Debt (Best Narrative Feature at 2017 American Black Film Festival), The Assassin. Additional Credits: M.F.A. from University of Alabama. Devin is a 2024 Drama League Directing Project Fellow, an alumni of the Roundabout Directing Group and Mercury Store Directing Technique, a 2022 NY Emmy Award nominee, and a recipient of the Paul Robeson Award-Honorable Mention at the 2018 Newark Black Film Festival. He was also nominated for Best Director at the 2017 American Black Film Festival and the 2018 Winter Film Awards.

Paco Tolson

Off-Broadway: Fiasco Theater’s productions of Twelfth Night and Pericles at Classic Stage Company, and The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Red Bull, 2024 Lortel nom.); Poor Yella Rednecks and Vietgone (2017 Lortel nom.) at Manhattan Theatre Club; SUMO (Ma-Yi Theater/The Public Theater); The Wind and The Rain (Vineyard Theater/En Garden Arts); The Unwritten Song (Ensemble Studio Theatre); Slavey (Clubbed Thumb); The Children of Vonderly (Ma-Yi Theater). Regional: to the yellow house (La Jolla Playhouse); Fiasco’s Measure for Measure (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Winter’s Tale and Vietgone (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Peter and the Starcatcher, Vietgone and Poor Yella Rednecks (South Coast Rep). Film & TV: Billions, Law & Order: Organized Crime, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Prodigal Son, Search Party, The Good Fight, Madam Secretary, and 7 DAY GIG. Proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, SEIU, Ensemble Studio Theater, and The Actors Center. @pacotolson

Emily Young

(she/her) is an actor, musician, writer, director and educator. She is one of Fiasco Theater’s original company members. For Fiasco: Queen/Belaria, Cymbeline, Little Red Riding Hood/Rapunzel, Into the Woods, Isabella/Mistress Overdone, Measure for Measure, Sylvia/Lucetta, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Toinette, Imaginary Invalid, Viola, Twelfth Night, Gussie, Merrily We Roll Along; Broadway: How I Learned to Drive u/s, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson; Off-Broadway: The Servant of Two Masters, Romeo and Juliet, Colorado Regional: Trinity Repertory Company, Folger Theater, McCarter Theater, Old Globe, North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival. As a director: Spring Awakening at Ohio Northern University, Fiasco readings, The Lucky Chance, Sight Unseen. TV/Film: Living With Yourself, The Knick, God of Love.