The heart of the Dust Bowl Motel project is its volunteers. Over the next few weeks we are going to highlight some of the people who have given so much of their time and talent to produce a show that will be entertaining and leave you with a sense that it was an evening well spent at the theatre. Today we spotlight our two leads, Jennifer Barnes and Dominic Orozco.

Jennifer Barnes – Katie Jo Dawkins

Jennifer has been in love with acting ever since her first role at age 8 as Bullwinkle in a local North Carolina production of Rocky and Bullwinkle. She spent a summer training in a rigorous program of acting, voice and movement at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, which turned her on to the idea of further professional training. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. While there, she studied at the Meisner Studio and spent a semester abroad in London training in Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Jennifer spent time in both New York and Los Angeles, acting on both stage and screen, before finding herself here in Texas. One of her favorite acting gigs in New York was her season as a gypsy and magician's assistant at the New York Renaissance Faire. (Shh! Don't ask how she survived the box of knives, because she won't tell!) In Los Angeles, Jennifer had the pleasure of being a part of the LA premiere of Blank, a new play by Bruce Reisman, which is currently being made into a feature film.

Among her favorite theatre roles were Mary Magdalene and the Angel Gloria in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Nora in A Doll's House, and Boo in Blue Window. Jennifer was last seen in Huntsville Community Theatre's production of Jake's Women as Molly at age 21. She is excited to make her Crighton Theatre debut and would like to thank her husband, her family, and her four cats and dog for their love and support.

Dominic Orozco – Dusty Wagner

Dominic Orozco is an awarding winning writer and producer/director/actor from Los Angeles, California with over 20 years experience in the film and stage industry. His career began with a Latin performance of Beatus Vir, by Vivaldi in New York’s historic Carnegie Hall in 1991. After winning the Richard Scott Handley Scholarship for creative writing, he began his film career in the early 90s working as a PA and script doctor on numerous films during the Los Angeles Indie Movement. In 1994 he returned to the stage where he won the Bakersfield Playwright Festival and LaHabra Playwright Festival for his play, O-64 Bingo. He followed that work with a seven week run of his critically acclaimed play, Junkies which premiered in Hollywood at the famed Complex Theater. In 1999 he adapted, Junkies for the screen, produced by Todd Gilmer Productions. He spent the next 9 years working as a producer and actor for both screen and stage around the country. In 2008 he co-wrote the feature film, Broken Promise starring the late Francesco Quinn, son of Oscar winner Anthony Quinn. It also starred Erin Moran of Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi fame.

In 2011 he moved to Huntsville, Texas where he played Juror #8 in The Huntsville Community Theater’s stage production of 12 Angry Men. In the summer of 2012 he played Jack in HTC’s Boys Next Door. In the fall of 2012 he began Long Road Film Company with 3 SHSU Alumni partners. In 2013 he wrote/ produced and acted in the feature film Walk Away starring Donny Boaz of TNT’s Dallas and the biopic My All American working opposite Aaron Eckhart. Walk Away also starred Screen Actors Guild award winner Patrick Sane of Breaking Bad. In the same year, he was a producer for the horror film, The Pick Axe Murders 3 (The Final Chapter) starring scream queen Tiffany Shepis and A. Michael Baldwin of the Phantasm franchise. In 2014, Dominic directed Shadowlands for HTC starring Dust Bowl Motel director Melissa Miller. After writing and producing numerous short films and directing a handful of music videos, Orozco wrote, produced and co-directed the docu-drama feature, Unknown Champions, based on SHSU’s 1973 National Champion for men’s basketball starring Willie Aames of Eight is Enough and Charles in Charge fame. Mr. Aames portrayed SHSU legendary basketball coach Archie Porter. Orozco is currently producing the short film, The Cask written by award winning writer Susie McCauley, based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, The Cask of Amontillado which he’ll be producing with Rival Studios in the Spring of 2015. The Cask will star Jeffry Griffin who can also be seen in the Oscar nominated film, The Big Short. Dominic is thrilled to be a part of The Dust Bowl Motel and having the opportunity to bring the character of Dusty to life.