Facts, opinions, rumors and innuendoes about the theater scene in Spokane, Washington
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
CdA Summer Theater cast lists
JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (June 13-27, 2009)
Director: Roger Welch (in 14 previous seasons as artistic director of Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre, has directed 28 shows; appeared here last summer as Thenardier in Les Miz)
Choreographer: Michael Wasileski (in 13 previous seasons at CdA, has choreographed 10 shows and directed three -- Footloose, A Chorus Line and Cats)
Joseph: Steven Booth (UNLV grad who played Pippin here three years ago)
Narrator: Krystle Armstrong (in two previous years at CdA, has played Millie and Cosette; also appeared as Natalie in All Shook Up and in Putting It Together)
Jacob: Jack Bannon (15 shows at CdA, and yes, he was Donovan on Lou Grant)
Pharaoh: James Lane (a graduate of Sam Houston State who has been in three previous productions of *Joseph*)
Brothers: Robby French (in three seasons at CdA: supporting roles in Les Miz, Once Upon a Mattress, The Full Monty, Some Enchanted Evening, Footloose, and Guys and Dolls; leading roles at Spokane Civic Theatre in The Last Five Years and as Jesus in Godspell); Jeffrey Johns (has performed on international tours and also in such roles as Linus, Motel, A-Rab, Peter Pan and Pippin); James Lane; Cameron Lewis (has performed at Bigfork, Interplayers and at the Civic as Will Parker in Oklahoma! and Billy Early in No, No, Nanette; his second season at CdA); Christopher Moll (in recent seasons at CdA, played Will Parker, Orin the Dentist, Munkustrap and Billy Lawlor (in 42nd Street)); Anthony Ong (at CdA in '06, played Ching Ho in Thoroughly Modern Millie; a Fordham grad who has performed in West Side Story and Hairspray in Manila); Justin Ramsey (extensive work in Seattle-area theaters); William Shindler (has also worked at Seattle Musical Theater); Michael Tramontin (graduate of AMDA and Univ. of New Orleans; survivor of Hurricane Katrina); Luke Vroman (a UW grad who has worked at both the 5th Street and Village theaters in Seattle); Josh Wingerter (with multiple credits at Seattle-area theaters, especially the Village Theater in Issaquah)
Wives: Lauren Cluett (in one year at CdA: appeared in All Shook Up and La Cage); Candace Hanson (in three seasons at CdA: Thoroughly Modern Millie, The King and I, A Chorus Line, Beauty and the Beast, and Footloose); Bonni Kealy (eight shows in three previous seasons at CdA; a grad student in math at WSU); Jessi Little (a CdA High grad who's on her way to TCU; three previous CdA productions); Amanda Wertz (Oklahoma City Univ. grad)
THE PRODUCERS (July 3-18)
Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Music and lyrics by Mel Brooks
Director and choreographer: Tralen Doler (directed La Cage here and everywhere else last year; at Spokane's defunct Actors Rep Theater, acted in two shows and directed four; extensive musical theater credits)
Conductor: Max Mendez (music director at Spokane's Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral; choir director at NIC; conducted three CdA shows last season and appeared in Les Miz)
Lights by Joel Williamson
Sound by John Gallegos
Max Bialystok: Eric James Hadley (Portland actor with 14 years' experience on cruise lines)
Leo Bloom: Matthew Wade (in one season at CdA: Dennis in All Shook Up, Jean-Michel in La Cage, and Marius in Les Miz; has also toured nationally as Leo Bloom)
Ulla: Jennifer Elise Davis (tours of The Pajama Game and La Cage aux Folles; in one season at CdA, appeared in All Shook Up and La Cage)
Roger: Jerry Christakos (played Albin/"Zaza" in La Cage aux Folles at CdA last summer)
Carmen Ghia: Steven Dahlke (since 1996, has been rehearsal pianist, music director or actor in 50 shows at CdA; teaches in Orange County)
Franz: Patrick Treadway (trained at ACT; has performed at several Spokane-area theaters; previous CdA shows include The Will Rogers Follies, My Fair Lady, Cabaret, Beauty and the Beast; Kiss Me, Kate; and White Christmas (in concert))
Ensemble: Molly Allen (the morning show at The Zoo and several shows at CdA); Lauren Cluett; Robby French; James Lane; Cameron Lewis; Christopher Moll; Anthony Ong; Michael Tramontin; Janie Wallace (an Illinois Wesleyan grad who has toured nationally with Gypsy and Joseph); Amanda Wertz
DAMES AT SEA (July 23-Aug. 2)
Book by George Heimsohn and Robin Miller
Music by Jim Wise
Director: Roger Welch
Choreographed by Tralen Doler
Musical direction by Steven Dahlke
Lights by Michael McGiveney
Sound by John Gallegos
Ruby: Darcy Wright (a CdA native who played Eponine in Les Miz and Bianca in Kiss Me, Kate here last year)
Dick: Nick Wheat (Cal State Fullerton grad who has appeared in three previous seasons at CdA — in '99, as Joseph and in The Pajama Game; in 2000, as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! and as part of the quartet in The Music Man; and in 2002, in Anything Goes)
Mona: Ellen Travolta (John's eldest sister; toured in Gypsy with Ethel Merman; well known for Welcome Back, Kotter; Happy Days; Joanie Loves Chachi; and Charles in Charge; previous roles at CdA include Mame, Dolly, Mama Rose and Miss Hannigan, along with Joanne in Company, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Berthe in Pippin and Jeannette in The Full Monty)
Lucky: Christopher Moll
Joan: Jennifer Elise Davis
Captain/Hennessey: Jerry Christakos
MISS SAIGON (Aug. 8-22)
Book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg
Lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil
Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg
Director: Kirk Mouser (on national tours and Broadway, has played Marius and Raoul, along with other roles; directed Les Miz here last summer; artistic director of Portland's Stumptown Stages)
Conductor: Chris Thompson (asst. prof. of voice at UI; last summer at CdA, conducted All Shook Up and played Georges in La Cage and Enjolras in Les Miz; will music-direct two shows at Idaho Rep this summer and will conduct Anything Goes at Lyric Opera San Diego)
Choreographer: Michael Wasileski
Musical direction by Chris Thompson
PSM: Dawn Taylor Reinhardt
Lights by Joel Williamson
Sound by John Gallegos
Kim: Mia Yoshida (WSU freshman who played Kim last year at Lewis and Clark High School)
Chris: Dane Stokinger (in two previous seasons at CdA: Jerry in The Full Monty, Man No. 2 in Putting It Together, Paul in Kiss Me, Kate, Chad in All Shook Up, Sir Harry in Once Upon a Mattress, and ensemble in Les Miz; also played Chris on a national tour)
The Engineer: Brian Jose (in one season at CdA: Bun Foo in Thoroughly Modern Millie; a SAG and Equity actor who has played the Engineer or Thuy in seven previous productions of Miss Saigon)
John: Matthew Wade
Thuy: Eymard Meneses Cabling (a Carnegie Mellon grad who has played both Thuy and, on tour, The Engineer)
Ellen: Jessica Skerritt (Seattle actor making her CdA debut)
Ensemble: Cody Bray (NIC student); Kimanh Nguyen Conway (Opera CdA); Matt Frasier (first season at CdA); Robby French; Lorna Hamilton (director and choreographer, veteran of several Spokane-area productions, including Mama Drama at the Civic); Loresa Lanceta (has worked off-Broadway and regionally); Whitney Lee (Northwestern and NYU grad who has also worked off-Broadway and regionally); Glen Llanes (has toured in Asia with The King and I; this is his CdA debut); Cameron Lewis; Andrew Ware Lewis (in one season at CdA, appeared in Kiss Me, Kate; has played leading roles at Spokane Civic Theatre in Singin' in the Rain, Hello, Dolly! and Assassins; teaches at Northwest Christian); Carl Man (born and raised in the UK; has played Aladdin at Disneyland and Joseph, Prince Charming and Tony (in West Side Story) on Royal Caribbean cruises); Christopher Moll; Tsubasa Ogawa (born in Japan, she attended the New School in New York); Anthony Ong; Jay Paranada (PLU grad and Seattle native who has worked in New York theaters; this is his CdA debut); Yvonne Same (a UC Irvine grad who has toured with Miss Saigon and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and who has played Yum-Yum, Peter Pan, Medea and Kim (in Miss Saigon) regionally); Allison Standley (UW grad who has worked with Seattle Shakespeare Company and will appear in "The Grind Show" (which she co-wrote) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; this is her fourth season at CdA); Tiara Yong (Hawaii native, now lives in New York)
Costume designer for all shows: Judith McGiveney (costumer for seven years on Murphy Brown; has worked extensively at Lake City Playhouse and NIC; here at CdA, has designed 39 productions)
Scenic designer for all shows: Michael McGiveney (before designing for the last eight years at CdA, worked with Walt Disney Imagineering for seven years)
Visit cdasummertheatre.com
Have a great season!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for such a detailed breakdown! It makes me feel like I'm home!
How come no mention of Patty Duke starring in WICKED in San Francisco, as Madame Morrible?
ReplyDelete