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The Cast
Cat
Boy
Girl
Fish
Thing 1
Thing 2
Jon Gentry
Drew Swaine
Shannon Phelps
Kate Haas
Alan Khoutakoun
Jenny Hintze
Jon Gentry (Cat) has been a member of Childsplay’s acting company since 1982. Childsplay shows
include: Robin Hood, A Year with Frog and Toad, The Yellow Boat, The Color of Stars, Lyle the
Crocodile and Rock, Paper, Scissors. Other roles: Frankie Cavalier in Pageant, Moonface Martin in
Anything Goes, Passpartout in Around The World In 80 Days, Max Bialystock in The Producers,
Tupolski in The Pillowman, Roy Cohn in Angels in America, Parts One and Two and Gremio in The
Taming Of The Shrew. Jon was awarded a Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship by the Ten Chimneys Foundation,
one of 10 actors in the United States to participate in the Inaugural Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program.
Drew Swaine (Boy) was last seen as Avery in Charlotte's Web. Drew is elated for the chance to return to
Childsplay. Classically trained at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, physical acting and
movement-based storytelling are at the root of what drives his passion for theatre. A few of Drew's
favorite roles in productions for young audiences are: James (James and the Giant Peach), White Rabbit
(Alice in Wonderland), King Edmund (Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe) and of course Avery (Charlottes
Web).
Shannon Phelps (Girl) Shannon Phelps recently joined the Childsplay ensemble as an actor in 2016 and
is excited to begin her first season with the company. Recently she played Laura Wingfield in The Glass
Menagerie (Fountain Hills Theatre). Other credits include Dr. Jennifer Castron in Red Planet Respite
(AriZoni Nominee: Supporting Actress), Molly Roman in Our Kiki: A Gay Farce, and Beatrix in This
Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing (Arizona State University). Shannon holds a BA in
Theatre with a concentration in Acting from Arizona State University.
Kate Haas (Fish) joined the Childsplay ensemble in 2007 as an actor and teaching artist. Most recently,
she played Junie B. in Childsplay's Junie B. Jones is not a Crook. Previous productions include Junie B.
in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!, Girls Who Wear Glasses, Charlotte's Web, The Velveteen Rabbit, Robin
Hood, Recipe for Disaster, With Two Wings, The Imaginators, and Androcles and the Lion. Other Valley
credits: Twist Your Dickens (Phoenix Theatre), Julius Caesar (Class 6 Theatre), Opus (Actors Theatre),
Love’s Labour’s Lost (Southwest Shakespeare), If You Give a Pig a Party (Phoenix Theatre for Young
Audiences), and reasons to be pretty (Stray Cat Theatre). Kate studies at the Megaw Actors Studio and
holds a BA in Theatre from Arizona State University.
Alan Khoutakoun (Thing 1) is performing in his second season with Childsplay. Favorite theatre credits
include: St. Jimmy in Green Day’s American Idiot (Stray Cat Theatre; Arizona Premiere), Henry in Pete,
or the Return of Peter Pan (Childsplay; World Premiere), Margaret Mead in Hair (Desert Stages Theatre;
ariZoni Nomination), Paul in A Chorus Line (Mesa Encore Theatre; MET Award). Alan is also a member
of Lisa Starry’s Scorpius Dance Theatre.
Jenny Hintze (Thing 2) Childsplay debut! Regional: Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot, Velma in Chicago,
Rachel in One Man Two Guvnors, Eponine in Les Miserables, Fastrada in Pippin, Maureen in Rent,
Emily in Our Town, Jane in S'Wonderful, Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, Dream a Little Dream, Claudia in
Nine, Amber in Hairspray, All The More To Love, Georgia in Curtains, Kathy in Company, Pam in The
Full Monty, Polly Baker in Crazy For You, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Judy in A Chorus Line, Swing!,
Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird(Phoenix Theatre), Belle in A Christmas Carol (Actors Theatre), Sister
Mary Leo in Nunsense, Brigadoon (Arizona Broadway Theatre), and Annie in Annie (Theatre League).
Jenny holds a Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance from Arizona State University and is represented
by Leighton Agency.
David Barker (Director) is honored to be directing the third The Cat In The Hat production for
Childsplay, having directed the first local production and the first North American tour. Other directing
credits include Off-Off-Broadway, Actors Theatre of Phoenix, In Mixed Company, Southwest
Shakespeare, Aurora Mime Theatre, Theater Works, Arizona State University and University of
California. He received 7 ariZoni Award nominations for Best Director, winning twice for Equivocation
(Southwest Shakespeare) and Exit the King (IMCO). He also won the BroadwayWorld Phoenix Best
Director Award for Equivocation. His productions received 8 Best Play nominations, winning three times
for Exit the King, The Dining Room (ASU), Goldwater: Mr. Conservative (Algonquin) and his production
of Edmond (ASU) was named to the Phoenix Gazette's Ten Best List. He is a professor of theatre at ASU
where he teaches acting and movement. He lives in Tempe with his wife Eileen. They have four children
and four grandchildren. www.davidbarker.org
D. Daniel Hollingshead (Costume Design) has previously designed costumes for Childsplay’s
productions of Sideways Stories from Wayside School (2015), Three Javelinas (co-design with Kish
Finnegan and the 2015 ariZoni award for the design) A Thousand Cranes (2014 and 2007), Schoolhouse
Rock Live!, The Cat in the Hat, Apollo: To the Moon (2013), The Giver, Rock the Presidents (2011, 2012
and 2016), With Two Wings, Honus and Me, Ferdinand the Bull, A Little Bit of Water, Rock Paper
Scissors, Lost & Foundling, Eric and Elliot, This is Not a Pipe Dream, New Kid (2010 and 2004) and
Power Play; along with remount designs of Charlotte’s Web (2007), Sleeping Beauty, Apollo: to the
Moon (2001), And Then They Came for Me, and The Velveteen Rabbit. Other designs include shows for
Perry Mansfield, as well as many dance works for companies such as Center Dance Ensemble (including
new lead costumes for The Snow Queen in 2015), Site Specific Dance Works, The Dance Connection,
Perry Mansfield, ASU Main and ASU West Dance Departments. Mr. Hollingshead has also designed hair
and makeup for many Childsplay productions as well as other local theatre and dance companies
including The Will Rogers Follies and The Women at Phoenix Theatre and the 2005 local production of
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast for which he won an ariZoni. He has also worked as cutter/draper,
wardrobe supervisor, deck crew and wardrobe for many theatre companies. Mr. Hollingshead is currently
the director of Childsplay’s costume construction and wardrobe department and also performs as a
professional dancer. He received a BFA in Performance and Choreography from ASU and currently is a
principal dancer with Center Dance Ensemble.
Jennifer Setlow (Lighting Design) Ms. Setlow's work has been seen at La Jolla Playhouse, The Old
Globe, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse
Stage, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre (where her work has won her both
KPBS Patté awards and an NAACP Theatre award) and numerous other venues. Previously at Childsplay:
Peter and the Wolf, The Borrowers, Lyle the Crocodile, The Giver, The Cat in the Hat, and Sideways
Stories From Wayside School. Ms. Setlow holds an MFA in lighting design from UCSD, a BA in Theatre
from Swarthmore College and is head of the lighting program at Arizona State University.
Christopher Neumeyer (Sound Design) is currently in his ninth season as the Sound Supervisor for
Childsplay, where he also works as a Sound Designer and Composer. Amongst his favorite shows are:
Rock the Presidents, The Sun Serpent, Honus and Me, Busytown, Goodnight Moon, The BFG
(Childsplay); In the Next Room and Secret Order (Actors Theatre); All My Sons, Fences, Cabaret
(Theaterworks in Palo Alto, CA). He has toured nationally with The New Musical Adventures of the 3
Redneck Tenors as their Sound Supervisor/FOH mixer, as well as produced sound effects and voice over
content for multimedia projects, corporate DVD’s, and feature films.
Koryn Weiman (Stage Manager) is excited to be celebrating her second season with Childsplay. Koryn
has been a stage manager for various theatre companies including: Houston Ballet, Main Street Theatre
for Youth, and Katy Visual Performing Arts Center. During her previous season with Childsplay, Koryn
was the Stage Manager for the international tour. Koryn studied Technical Theatre, receiving her BA at
University of North Texas and her AA at Blinn College. When not working on a show, Koryn enjoys
baking and cooking.