Download Who`s Who in the Company - Beck Center for the Arts

Who’s Who in the Company
Scott Spence (Artistic
Director / Director) is
thrilled as always to
embark on a new season
– in this case – his 23rd at
Beck Center! Since 1990,
Scott has produced well
over 200 productions,
directing over 70 himself.
The list of favorites
grows every season, and includes Parade, A Man
of No Importance, Sweeney Todd, Hair, Picasso
at the Lapin Agile, The Farnsworth Invention,
Reefer Madness, The Fix, Zombie Prom, Tommy,
Urinetown The Musical, Evil Dead The Musical,
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,
and the box office smashes The Producers and
Hairspray. Last season Scott added to those
favorites with productions of Legally Blonde
and the much lauded Bloody Bloody Andrew
Jackson. He is very proud of the awards and
acclamations Beck Center has received over the
past decade, and is especially grateful for having
won the 2006 Northern Ohio Live Award for
Achievement in Theatre. Outside of these walls,
Scott’s directorial assignments have included a
remounting of Beck Center’s hit production of
Altar Boyz at PlayhouseSquare’s beautiful Hanna
Theatre, Das Barbecü at Opera Cleveland, The
Last Night of Ballyhoo at Case Western Reserve
University Eldred Theatre, Oh Dad Poor Dad....
at Cleveland State University Summer Stages
and Noises Off at both Weathervane Playhouse in
Akron and Berea Summer Theatre. An adjunct
faculty member at Cleveland State University,
he has also has the privilege to direct Satre’s No
Exit and will tackle Strindberg’s Miss Julie this
spring. Occasionally on the other side of the
footlights, Scott has appeared in Dick Deadeye
(Berea Summer Theatre), Man of La Mancha
(Jewish Community Center), The Secret Rapture
(Dobama) and closer to home at Beck Center in
Big River, The Boys Next Door and Laughter on the
23rd Floor. He also had the privilege of joining
the cast of Passion, directed by Victoria Bussert,
in his only onstage stint in the Studio Theater.
Scott holds an MFA in Directing from Western
Illinois University and is a trained stage fight
choreographer, having studied extensively with
the SAFD. He would like to dedicate this season
to longtime local actor and friend Frank Mularo
who sadly left us in August. Love you Frankie.
Larry Goodpaster (Musical
Director) is pleased to
be musically directing
Xanadu this fall. Xanadu
is Larry’s 62nd production
and marks the beginning
of his 15th year at Beck
Center. An award-winning
pianist in high school,
Larry followed quite a
different path and obtained degrees in biology,
chemistry, veterinary medicine, and business over
the next 20 years. Upon receiving his MBA in
1997, Larry decided to return to musical theater
in his recreational time. Larry’s love and passion
for the arts soon became an obsession. Beginning
in January 2008, he spent his days at Beck
Center as a volunteer business consultant with
Cindy Einhouse, President and CEO. In the fall
2009, Larry was hired as the director of business
operations. Last year, he became the director
of finance and administration at Beck Center.
Sharing both his artistic talent and business
acumen with Beck Center has finally allowed his
circuitous career path to come together. Larry
would like to thank our audiences and donors
for allowing Beck Center to thrive. Likewise, he
is also thankful to have survived the tacky ‘80s
of Xanadu.
**Martín
Céspedes
(Choreographer) most
recently staged Legally
Blonde The Musical
and
Bloody
Bloody
Andrew Jackson for Beck
Center for the Arts and
The Fantasticks for The
Repertory Theatre of St.
Louis. Favorite productions include Nine: The
Musical and Equus for which he received a
2007 Northern Ohio Live nomination for best
choreography, and Smokey Joe’s Café, Five Guys
Named Moe, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and My Way: A
Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra. Martín has
appeared in several Broadway national tours,
including Man of La Mancha with Jack Jones
and Ron Holgate; The King and I with Hayley
Mills, Marie Osmond, Maureen McGovern
and Faith Prince; South Pacific with Robert
Goulet and West Side Story with Bebe Neuwirth.
In New York, Martín staged choreography for
the off-off-Broadway production of Scrooge
and Marley and choreographed the opening
acts for Earth, Wind and Fire and The Bee
Gees. Other television appearances include
Dance Fever and NBC’s Weekday Fever, as well
as the Washington National Opera’s lavish
production of Massenet’s Le Cid, starring
Placido Domingo, broadcast live from The
Kennedy Center on PBS, for which he also
served as Associate Choreographer. An
alumnus of the Jacque d’Amboise National
Dance Institute at PS 161 in New York City,
Martín has won numerous awards and was
nominated in 2009 for the prestigious Zelda
Fichandler Award, which recognizes an
outstanding director or choreographer who is
making a unique and exceptional contribution
through his or her work in regional theater.
Most recently he was the recipient of the 2011
BroadwayWorld Award for Best Choreography
in a Musical Theater Production. Martin is
dedicating this season to the memory of his
dear friend, Amy Brotherton Staskus.
Libby Burchmore (Stage
Manager) is excited to
be a part of yet another
fantastic Beck Center
production. She has been
a part of Beck Center’s
Professional
Theater
program for over 12
years and the 2012/2013
season marks her third as Stage Manager. When
she’s not corralling actors and keeping things
under control, she’s spending her time helping
preschoolers learn to communicate as a speech/
language pathologist for North Ridgeville City
Schools. As always, a big thanks to the amazing
cast, crew and production staff who make each
show a unique and fabulous experience. She
would also like to thank her family, friends, and
especially Chris for all the support, love and
patience.
Sam
Wolf
(Sonny
Malone) is thrilled to
back at Beck Center
having just finished doing
absurd things in people’s
faces this past summer
in Bloody Bloody Andrew
Jackson. Before that
he was seen in Titanic
at Baldwin Wallace University. Favorite roles
include: Rent (Roger), All Shook Up (Chad),
Singin’ in the Rain (Cosmo), and Swing! (Principal
Dancer). Sam is a sophomore Music Theatre
major at Baldwin Wallace University. Special
thanks to Scott S., Larry, Martín, Vicky, Scott
P., Bailey, and most importantly, his parents.
BWMT15!
AmieeCollier(Melpomene
/ Medusa) is happy to
return to Beck Center’s
Mackey Main Stage.
She has performed at
Lakeland Civic Theatre,
Cain Park, Cleveland
Public Theatre, Tri-C,
Mercury
Summer
Stock, and Stuart Street Playhouse in Boston,
MA. Previously at Beck Center: Bloody Bloody
Andrew Jackson (Indians Vocalist/Ensemble),
The Marvelous Wonderettes (Betty Jean), Peter Pan
(Mrs. Darling), Evil Dead The Musical (Cheryl),
Fiddler on the Roof (Fruma Sarah), Urinetown
The Musical (Soupy Sue), Jekyll & Hyde (Lucy),
Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts), On the Town
(Hildy), Moby Dick The Musical! (Starbuck),
Seussical The Musical! (Bird Girl), Reefer Madness
(Mae), and La Cage aux Folles (Paulette). For
Russ, who helped me find my own Xanadu.
Leslie Andrews (Calliope
/ Aphrodite) is excited to
return to Beck Center!
Past
roles
include:
Legally
Blonde
The
Musical (Paulette) at the
Renaissance
Theatre,
Texas Chainsaw Musical
(Gospel Nun) at Blank
Canvas Theatre, Jerry Springer The Opera
(Zandra/Irene/Mary) at Beck Center, and Girls
Night The Musical (Liza) at PlayhouseSquare.
Ms. Andrews was a talent and swimsuit award
winner as well as first runner-up to Miss Ohio
where she was the muse for world peace and butt
glue. Leslie holds a BM…no that’s a degree…in
music…for voice. Oh, never mind. She thanks
her wonderful family for all of their support,
especially the guy with the messed up face.
Special thanks to Scott, Larry, Martín and the
rest of this amazing cast and crew! Obeebum
Ebee Bababoo!
Maggie Stahl (Euterpe/
Siren/Andrews Sister/
Thetisis) is always happy
to be at Beck Center,
especially with such a
terrific cast and staff.
Beck Center audiences
may have seen her in a
number of her favorites:
Urinetown The Musical (Hope Cladwell), Hello
Again (Young Wife), and Miss Saigon (Ellen).
A big thank you to Scott, Larry and Martín for
another amazing opportunity. Love and thanks
to Mom, Dad, Aidan, and Abby. And to Rick...
Iniibig kita. Cross your fingers that she doesn’t
break anything while on roller skates! Huzzah!
Kathleen Ferrini (Erato/
Siren/Andrews Sister/
Eros/Hera) is ecstatic
to be making her Beck
Center debut. She is a
recent graduate with
honors from Wright State
University holding a
BFA in Musical Theatre.
Recent college credits include Phantom of
the Opera (Carlotta), and Little Women (Meg
March). In addition, Kathleen had the honor
of performing in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass with
the Dayton Philharmonic. She also has enjoyed
portraying comic characters in I Love You Because
(Diana) and Singin’ in the Rain (Lina Lamont).
Special thanks to her family and friends who
have been a constant source of love and
encouragement in all the silly adventures in
which she seems to find herself, you know who
you are! Psalm 150:6.
Matthew Ryan Thompson
(Terpsichore / Siren /
Young Danny / Tubes
Singer / Hermes /
Cyclops) is thrilled to
skate and tap his way
around Beck Center’s
Main Stage in Xanadu.
He was most recently
seen here in Legally Blonde
The Musical (Aaron/Kiki the Colorist), as well as
productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (Joseph), Hairspray (Corny Collins); and
Beck Center’s revival of Altar Boyz (Mark) in the
Hanna Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. Ryan started
his performing career on stage as a youngster. When
he wasn’t standing on an ottoman belting out Amy
Grant tunes or some ‘80s power ballad, he competed
nationally as a tap dancer and transitioned into
musical theater in high school. He continues to
study and perform all over the East Coast and
throughout Ohio. Offstage Ryan works as a session
and salon stylist (Ichiban Salon/Westlake) traveling
all over the U.S. for shows, classes and shoots. He
would like to thank his family, friends and mentors
for their continued love and support. TPOG
Ben Donahoo (Thalia/
Siren / Tubes Singer /
Centaur)
is ecstatic
to be returning to Beck
Center for another show
after appearing in the
2011 holiday encore
production of Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat
(Naphtali).
Ben hails from Pocatello, Idaho, where he earned
his BS in Chemistry and minor in Theatre
from Idaho State University. Some past credits
include: Peter Pan (Mullins/Indian) at Idaho
Summer Repertory, White Christmas (Mike
Nulty) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (George
Gershwin/Ensemble) at Mystique Theatre, the
Ohio premiere of Happy Days, A New Musical
(Richie Cunningham) at Trumpet in the Land,
and most recently, All Shook Up (Dean Hyde),
also at Trumpet. Many thanks to Scott, Martín,
and Larry for this wonderful opportunity to skate
around in a skirt and many more thanks to his
family for their undying support in his theatrical
endeavors!
*Kathleen Rooney (Clio
/Kira) is delighted to be
returning to Beck Center
(and her hometown) for a
few weeks! Now a proud
New Yorker, she graduated
two years ago from the
esteemed music theatre
program at Baldwin
Wallace College. Since then Kathleen has been
seen on Law and Order SVU, commercials for
Axe Body Spray and Red Lobster, and co-starred
opposite several of her Broadway idols in City
of Angles (Mallory) for a four-month run at the
Tony Award-winning Goodspeed Opera House!
She also recently performed in the reading of the
new musical, “Beyond the Music” in NYC. Other
regional work includes: Gateway Playhouse,
The Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Wagon Wheel
Theatre, Cain Park, and Great Lakes Theatre
Festival. Thank you to Scott, Martín, Larry, this
hilarious Xanadu cast, my lovely agents, and of
course my incredible family for everything!
*Greg Violand, (Danny
Maguire/Zeus) is pleased
to be back at Beck
Center having appeared
in
The
Underpants,
Urinetown the Musical,
1776, La Cage Aux Folles,
and A Doll’s House.
Greg is well known to
Northeast Ohio audiences having performed
for the past 27 years in numerous productions
at Cleveland Play House, Great Lakes Theatre
Festival, PlayhouseSquare, Cain Park, Dobama,
Beck Center, Lakeland Summer Theater,
Actors’ Summit, Ensemble, Cleveland Opera,
Cleveland Lyric Opera, JCC Halle, Cleveland
State University Summer Stages, The Eldrid
Theater, and other venues including the
Virginias Musical Theater and Metro Stage in
Washington D.C. He is currently enrolled in the
Returning Professionals MFA Program at Kent
State University. Greg is married to the lovely
and talented Maryann Nagel. His greatest joys
are bragging about his nine grandchildren and
watching his 18-year-old daughter Claire live her
life. “Love to my Father!”
*Actor appears courtesy of the Actors’ Equity
Association (AEA), the union of actors and stage
managers.
** Member of the Society of Stage Directors and
Choreographers
Trad A Burns (Scenic/Lighting Designer) is
a lighting and scenic designer based in Boston.
Designing over 500 productions during the last
two decades, his varied work has been seen around
the world. His extensive credits include designs
for North Shore Music Theatre (Boston), New
York Theatre Workshop (NYC), La Mama ETC
(NYC), HERE (NYC), Classic Stage Company
(NYC), The Public Theatre (NYC), Cleveland
Play House, Cleveland Public Theatre, Indiana
Repertory Theatre, Beck Center for the Arts,
Cain Park, Boston Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet,
National Ballet of Canada, New York City
Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Atlanta Ballet,
Houston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet
British Columbia, Washington Ballet, Spectrum
Dance, Verb Ballets, Inlet Dance Theatre, Cedar
Point, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kings Island, Walt
Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Japan,
Disney Sea, Woodstock Ice Productions, and
The Family of Charles M. Schulz. Recent designs
include: Avenue Q at Cain Park, Bloody, Bloody
Andrew Jackson at Beck Center for the Arts, Inlet
Dance Theatre & MorrisionDance at Cleveland
Public Theatre, and The Four Seasons & The
Man in Black for National Ballet of Canada,
Cinderella at Louisiana Ballet Theatre.
Benjamin Gantose (Associate Scenic &
Lighting Designer) is an up and coming lighting
designer in Northeast Ohio theater and dance,
newly named a resident lighting designer at
Cleveland Public Theatre. As Trad A Burns
associate designer, Benjamin has worked on
The Marvelous Wonderettes, My Fair Lady, The
Producers, Altar Boyz, at Beck Center and on
various projects at PlayhouseSquare, Verb Ballets,
Inlet Dance Theater, and Cincinnati Ballet,
including multiple world premieres. Benjamin’s
own recent designs include Monster Play, Cut to
Pieces, Insomnia, Darwinii, Mother/Tongue, Don’t
Call Me Fat and work with the Y-Haven project
at Cleveland Public Theatre; Steel Magnolias at
True North; A Little Night Music, Big The Musical,
The Prime of Miss Jean Brody, Les Miserables,
Company, Pippin, at Fairmount Performing Arts
Conservatory.
Alison Garrigan (Costume Designer) Alison’s
design work has been seen on the Beck Center
stage for many years. Her work here may be
remembered in such productions as the recent
Spring Awakening, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Producers, The Diary
of Anne Frank, Miss Saigon, The Seagull, Hamlet,
Parade, Agnes of God, Porgy and Bess, and Jekyll
& Hyde the Musical, to name a few. At other
theaters, her design work is also represented
by such productions as The Oresteia and The
Alchemist at Cleveland State University, Speech
and Debate and W;t at Dobama Theatre, and
Carmen Jones and Hot Mikado for Great Lakes
Theater Festival/Cleveland Municipal School
District, among many others. Alison is currently
resident designer at both Cleveland Public
Theatre and for the Opera Stage at Cleveland
Institute of Music, where her most recent
productions were Massenet’s Cendrillon and
Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera.
Richard B. Ingraham (Sound Designer) is
happy to return for his ninth season of work
with Beck Center. Favorite previous sound
designs at Beck Center include: Wings, The
Producers, Evil Dead The Musical, The Farnsworth
Invention, History Boys, Equus, Beauty and the
Beast, The Diary of Anne Frank, Agnes of God,
and Of Mice and Men. Richard is a freelance
sound designer based in the Cleveland
area. He has worked at numerous theaters,
schools and attractions in Northeast Ohio
and throughout the US including: Ashland
University, Cain Park, Chagrin Falls Performing
Arts Academy, The Cleveland Play House,
Cleveland Public Theatre, Cleveland State
University, The Cleveland Theatre Company,
Dobama Theatre, The University of Evansville,
Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, The Jewish
Community Center of Cleveland, The Lincoln
Amphitheatre, The Lincoln Library and
Museum, Oberlin College, PlayhouseSquare
Center, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines,
Shakespeare and Company, Stone Mountain
Park, and Willoughby Fine Arts Association.
Richard is an adjunct faculty member at the
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh
where he teaches Sound Design and other
related course work. He has also worked
as a consultant to award-winning software
companies that create products specifically for
the needs of live performance including Stage
Research and Richmond Sound Design.
Joseph Carmola (Technical Director) is in his
seventh year as Technical Director at the Beck
Center. In the past Joe has served as Technical
Director for, the Canton Players Guild, Magical
Theatre Company and Paul Green’s Trumpet in
the Land. His freelance credits include lighting
design and scenic artist, as well as a set design for
Les Miserables Jr. which has been seen in many
student programs throughout Northeast Ohio.
He is the proud father of Clayton.