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Executive Director, Cofounder

Liz Ross is a pansexual nonbinary queer person with a uterus that uses the pronouns (she/they) that has multiple disabilities. They have epilepsy, mild autism, PTSD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder with 2 screws in their right ankle. They are a very seasoned theatre artist in the Austin area. They got their BFA at Texas State University in theatre performance and production in 2010. In the fall of 2024 they directed ‘Waiting for the Bus’ by James Burnside at the Ground Floor Theatre about the untold stories of people with disabilities in residential facilities in the United States.

Liz focuses on original works, theatre of the oppressed, and providing opportunities for those around them. They were the wardrobe supervisor at UT opera for 3 years, Board Member for KOOP Radio for 6 years, host of The Sex Ed Radio Show for 5 years, and have a hat in the Smithsonian from the 2012 DNC. They got their Masters in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Specialization from AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine. Liz headed the organization Women In Games International for 6 years advocating for diversity and inclusion in the video game industry. They were interpretation coordinator, ASM, accommodation specialist and assisted with the Symposium for the Vortex’s Deaf directed original play Another Kind of Silence. They have taught theatre classes via Zach Scott Theatre with the Go Project.

They wrote and directed a short film about a morning of seizures called ‘A Jolting Morning’ and recently wrote and directed a short play about their epilepsy journey which premiered at Frontera Fest as a ScriptWorks sponsored play titled ‘Seize Me.’ They have experience in radio, film, theatre, video games, politics, tech, education and marketing. Liz lives by the motto ‘I help make dreams come true’ and ‘Life is a constant metamorphosis.’ They are a B. Iden Payne award winner for Game Night and was the lighting and set assistant for the award winning play ‘The Red Balloon.’

(she/her/hers)

Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Cofounder

Austin Actor and Disability Advocate

Kristen is the Cofounder and  Director of  Outreach  for TUBU Fest. She has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheelchair for mobility.  Previously one of the longest running actresses with TILT Performance Group. Kristen has experience in theater, film, radio and non-profit work. She has been featured in a Capital Metro Commercial.  Additionally, Kristen was featured in a public service announcement titled “Counting All My Children” which won a Barbara Jordan media award in 2021. In 2013 Kristen earned her Bachelor's Degree in Communication Disorders from Texas State University. 

She has worked for the Texas School for the Blind and as a Peer Support Specialist at Imagine Art. Kristen is an advocate for people with disabilities.  She graduated from the Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities Partner in Policy Making  program in 2023.   Currently she serves on the B. Iden Payne award council and on the board at the Georgetown Palace Theatre as well the IDD Advisory Council for Higher Education. 

Production Manager

Mindy Griffin is a producer, stage manager and designer who has been creating theatre in Austin, TX for the last fifteen years. She was a founding member of Last Act Theatre Company, producing B. Iden Payne Award winning theatre with a focus on new works by local writers.

After graduating from Southwestern University, Mindy became the production stage manager, company manager and props master at Know Theatre of Cincinnati, helping launch their national tour of “Calculus: The Musical!” and their merger with the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, becoming the first regional theatre to produce a fringe festival.