Music and lyrics by William Finn
Book by William Finn and James Lapine
Directed by Alicia Sweeney
Produced by Judi Wobensmith
April 12 - May 5, 2019
Run time: 95m
(no intermission)

A New Brain is an autobiographical musical by William Finn, of Falsettos and Spelling Bee fame, concerning his bout with an arteriovenous malformation in his brain and the healing power of art through the character of songwriter Gordon Schwinn. The show opens with Gordon working at his piano to meet a deadline, irritated because he must write a song about spring for a children’s television host, Mr. Bungee, who dresses as a frog. At lunch with best friend and agent, Rhoda, Gordon collapses face first into his meal and is taken to the hospital. Gordon’s greatest fear is dying with his best songs still unwritten. Descending upon his hospital room are a hilariously absurd cast of characters: his oppressive mother, his supportive lover, hospital staff, and a wise homeless woman and a hallucination of his haranguing, amphibian boss. Facing his own mortality and awaiting brain surgery, Gordon wrestles with the person he has been, the legacy he will leave behind, and ultimately, the person he will be if he survives.

To download the production postcard for A New Brain to share with your friends, visit the Downloads page of our website and look under the Production Postcard heading. 

About the Author/Lyracist/Composer

William Finn is a Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist who is perhaps best known for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was directed by his frequent collaborator, James Lapine, a winner of three Tony Awards. The two men had a long history of working together before collaborating on A New Brain. Their 1992 production of Falsettos was nominated for eight Tony Awards, with Finn and Lapine sharing the award for best book of a musical and Finn winning for best original score. Finn’s burgeoning career suffered a major set back soon after the Falsettos opening when he was rushed to a hospital, suffering from dizziness and partial paralysis. The diagnosis was arteriovenous malformation -- a tangle of abnormal blood vessels that disrupt the vital process of providing oxygen rich blood to the brain. Finn believed death was imminent and that he would not live to write the many songs filling his brain. But he survived risky surgery, and his good health returned. A New Brain was born out of that trauma. In about 30 songs, it follows Finn’s journey from good health to near death and back to good health. Finn is a heavily autobiographical writer. His topics have included gay and Jewish experiences in contemporary America along with family, belonging, sickness, healing, and loss. Lapine has had a stellar career on Broadway, winning three Tonys for best book of a musical, five Drama Desk Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize. He wrote the book for and directed three Stephen Sondheim musicals -- Sunday in the Park with George, Passion, and Into the Woods. He also directed Broadway productions of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Diary of Anne Frank, and the 2012 revival of Annie.

About the Director

Alicia Sweeney has had the pleasure of being involved onmany sides of Colonial Players ’70th Season. From working with the promising playwright project to performing in The Babylon Line to directing A New Brain, each project takes on its own special family of volunteers who devote their time, energy, and talent for the love of theater. I am deeply indebted and grateful to this cast and production team for their dedication, professionalism, and work ethic. This production has provided me the opportunity to build upon existing friendships and begin new ones. Many thanks to Jessica Deskin for her outstanding musical direction and leadership; Wes Bedsworth for his support and input on technical aspects; and John Purnell for his exceptional lighting design and support. As always, I am extremely grateful to you, the audience, for supporting live theater and this special community. None of this is possible without you.

Director's Notes

“Don’t die with your music still in you.”

“Don’t die with your music still in you.”~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

Everyone talks about change. Fresh starts. New perspectives. We jokingly say to our friends, “Ugh! I need a new brain!” Unfortunately, many times it takes a catastrophe or a traumatic event to makes us aware of what is important or what we have been ignoring or taking for granted. A New Brain is an autobiographical musical born out of such an event. Perhaps you or someone you know has had a medical emergency that came out of nowhere. I know I have. Time stops. Suddenly you find yourself in a bubble, trying to make sense of things or take care of things. None of us knows how we will react in a situation like this. In the moment, we are all just trying to get through it. Once on the other side of it, when you’ve had a chance to reflect, perhaps, If you are open to it, something beautiful will come out of such an event-- a work of art, a deeper relationship, a fresh perspective on life and what is important to you. A New Brain is not often done. It is a quirky love letter William Finn wrote to himself, his mother, and his partner -- or a strange dream he had,and you were there and I was there. Rather than follow this story of someone else’s situation, I ask you to identify with each character in this dream. Any of us could be any of these characters. Life is a strange and precious journey full of laughter and love if you let it be. As Gordon sings: “Everything’s changed, and nothing’s changed. I mean, I’m different, but I’m still the same – I still complain… but I’m not the same that I was – except I’m the same that I was, but different – At least, I hope I’m different.” Change your perspective. Change your mindset. Change your habits. The things you do today create your tomorrow. If not now, when?

– ALICIA SWEENEY

About the Music Director

Jessica Deskin is absolutely thrilled to be working with The Colonial Players and this AMAZING cast and crew! She is new to Annapolis, and CP has been a “friend,” not only because of the wonderful people she’s met from the shows, but the emotional journey each production has taken her on viewed in CP's intimate ‘in-the-round’setting. Jessica is a vocalist/pianist with classical, jazz, contemporary, and Estill voice training/pedagogy. She is a singer, songwriter, and performer with a decade of teaching and is passionate abouthelping vocalists reach their next level as musicians and performers. In her day job, Jessica works on the administrative side of music and arts with renowned saxophonist/ educator Jeff Antoniuk, supporting the local and global community of adult jazz music education. Thank you, Debbie, Jeff, all of my friends and family for your support; thank you to the pit, Les, Richard, and especially Alicia, for inviting me on this journey.

The Cast

Cheryl J. Campo (A Homeless Lady) - After having previously been a rehearsal pianist for The Colonial Players’ 2016 production of The Secret Garden, Cheryl is thrilled to appear onstage in CP’s A New Brain with another ridiculously talented group of people. Her Maryland credits include Arts Collective at Howard Community College, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Director); Olney Theatre Center, South Pacific (Bloody Mary); Cohesion Theatre Company, fools and madmen, a hip hop adaptation of King Lear that toured Baltimore City in 2018 (Gloucester); Damascus Theatre Company, The Musical of Musicals (Abby) [WATCH Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical]; Red Branch Theatre Company, Avenue Q (Christmas Eve); Pumpkin Theatre, Jack and the Beanstalk (Jack's Mother); and Baltimore Shakespeare Factory, Twelfth Night (Maria). Cheryl is a theater and choir teacher at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, where she also musical directs their middle and high school shows. Many thanks to the production team for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing project and to Bruce for his endless patience, love and support.

Shane Conrad (Roger Delli-Bovi) - Shane is elated to be stepping into a role he has dreamed about for over a decade and making his Colonial Players debut all in one fell swoop. Most recently he starred as Freddy in PGLT's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Chip in Greenbelt Art Center’s Spelling Bee. Shane is a middle school teacher in Anne Arundel County and spends most days surrounded by hormonal thirteen year olds. Fear and pity him. When not teaching, he spends time with his six-month-old son, Monkey Boy Blain. He would like to thank his wife, Cozette, for stepping up at home so he can pursue his dream of "sailing" and becoming a giant eggplant.

Aref Dajani (Dr. Jafar Berensteiner) - Aref is a high baritone, a vocalstudent of Ana Castrello, and anacting student of Ken Arnold. This is his CP debut. Aref performs locally in opera, musical theater, dramatic theater, semi-staged readings (including the annual Pageto-Stage Festival), cabaret and karaoke. Favorite opera roles include Don Octave (The Stoned Guest), Melchior (Amahl and the Night Visitors), and Monostatos (The Magic Flute). Favorite musical theater roles include Jack (Into the Woods), Padre (Man of La Mancha), and Prospero (Return tothe Forbidden Planet). Favorite dramatic theater roles include Canon Penne father (Murder on the Nile), Mike Connor (The Philadelphia Story), andMr. Robinson (The Graduate). Aref praises CP forpromoting high quality, live theater that is accessible and affordable. Performing in local theater allowshim to shamelessly break the fourth wall, but at CP, what wall?! Kudos to the ensemble of knitters who engaged in contrapuntal virtuosity during auditions and callbacks, the script selection committee for under taking a delicious challenge we achieved in the round, and most notably his partner Jack, his own “Roger” throughout his recovery after his craniotomy at Hopkins last year. Physician assistant, patient advocate, and mother hen. For Jack, Aref dedicates this performance tonight.

Rebecca Downs (Mimi Schwinn) - She has worked professionally on both coasts, onstage and on-camera, doing principal and guest-starring spots on shows such CSI Miami, Robbery Homicide Division; Will & Grace; Everybody Loves Raymond and Another World. She has looped movies and recorded characters for animated series and video games, including multiple characters for the World Of Warcraft series. She premiered Dancing With Miracles off-Broadway at The Whole Theater Co. and Captain Neato-Man at The Westbank Cafe. But her favorite roles are from shows she has done here at The Colonial Players - Katherine in 33 Variations and Lilian Lafleur in Nine. Also a professional jazz singer and published songwriter, Rebecca collaborated on music for films such as Wedding Crashers, Down With Love, The Cooler, and Monster-InLaw. She dedicates this show to her parents and to all parents who have the courage to love and support their children through the most terrifying of times.

Ron Giddings (Gordon Michael Schwinn) - Ron has had so much fun working with this special group in a show that is close to his heart for many reasons. He most recently appeared as Aaron Port in CP's production of The Babylon Line. He has also appeared at CP over the last few years as Nick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (WATCH award for Featured Actor in a Play), Mr. Green in CP’s Musical-in-a-Week production of Clue: The Musical, and Edgar/Bat Boy (WATCH award for Best Actor in a Musical) in Bat Boy. He has acted in the area with Dundalk Community Theatre, Cockpit in Court, Dignity Players, Moonlight Troupers, 2nd Star, Phoenix Festival Theatre, the Maryland Arts Festival, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, and Standing O as John in 2008’s production of john & jen, in The Musical of Musicals (Jitter), Tracers (Scooter), This is Our Youth (Dennis), and in the US Premiere of After the Dance (Peter). “Thanks to my parents, family, and friends for being more supportive than I could ever express.”

Heather McMunigal (Rhoda) - Heather McMunigal is delighted to be returning to The Colonial Players stage. Most recently, she performed the role of Mother in Ragtime with 2nd Star Productions. Other recent performances include Rose in The Secret Garden and Fred’s Wife in A Christmas Carol at The Colonial Players. She was dance captain and in the ensemble of Sister Act at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, where she is currently producing Songs for a New World. Heather sings with Live Arts Maryland as part of the Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Singers and has appeared asa featured performer in their productions of Kiss Me Kate, Grand Night for Singing, and Oklahoma! She has a bachelor of arts in music (voice) from Penn State University. During the day, Heather helps to Save the Bay working for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Many thanks to Alicia, Jess, the production team, and our talented and dynamic cast for making this such a great experience.

Eric Meadows (The Minister) - Eric is very excited to be performing with The Colonial Players for a second time. His last appearance on this stage was in the role of Scrooge as a Boy in A Christmas Carol nearly 20 years ago, so he felt it was about time to return.This show particularly resonates with him following his 2016 battle with leukemia, and he is honored to be working with so many amazing individuals. Some of his favorite recent roles have been Brandy Bottle Bates in Guys and Dolls (2016), Charlie Davenportin Annie Get Your Gun (2017), and J.P. Morgan in Ragtime (2018) with 2nd Star Productions and Uncle Fester in The Addams Family (2015) with Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre. He would like to thank his family and friends for their unending support andthe cast and crew for all of their hard work!

Jamie Erin Miller (Waitress/Nancy D.) - Jamie is thrilled to be back at The Colonial Players with her “theater family.” Jamie majored in theater at The University of Central Florida and received her master’s degree in elementary education. She is currently working as an assistant principal for Anne Arundel County. Since moving to the area 12 years ago, Jamie has performed in the Maryland and DC area with Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, The Colonial Players, Dignity Players, 2nd Star Productions, Standing O Productions, and Winters Lane Productions (to name a few). Some of her favorite roles include Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls (nominated for a Washington Area Theater Community Honors Award); Maureen in Rent; Woman 1 in I Love You,You’re Perfect, Now Change (WATCH nominee); Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Izzy in Rabbit Hole (WATCH nominee). Jamie would liketo thank Alicia, Jess, and the entire cast and crewfor everything that went into this show! And a very special thank you goes out to all of her family and friends for their endless love and support, especially her husband, Andrew, and their daughter, Sophie.

Tom Newbrough (Mr. Bungee) - Tom has acted and sung locally for many years. Some of his more recent musical appearances include roles in Jacques Brel, Assassins, Urinetown, On the 20th Century, Catch Me If You Can, and last year's premiere of Do It Now: the Mayor Schaefer Musical. At CP, Tom directed Strange Snow, A Shayna Maidel, Incorruptible, Rabbit Hole, and Dead Man's Cell Phone. By trade, Tom is a trial attorney for Cohen, Snyder, Eisenberg & Katzenberg. As always, he thanks his family for their love and support and feels fortunate to be working with such a talented cast and crew. Tom dedicates this performance to an American legend, Mr. Fred Rogers. 

The Production Staff

Richard Atha-Nicholls (Sound Designer) This will be Richard’s third production designing sound for The Colonial Players this season. He has previously engineered or designed sound for numerous productions, primarily at CP and Laurel Mill Playhouse. His sound designs have garnered two WATCH nominations.Richard has appeared on area stages, and in his spare time helps run Disc world conventions. Occasionally he has been known to direct. He’staking a break from sound design after this show by producing the final show of the season, Towards Zero. Love to C, A & P. Always in my heart, O.

Shannon Benil (Assistant Director) Shannon Benil is proud to work beside Alicia, her long-time friendand past (and most fun!) roomie. Having performed in numerous shows at The Colonial Players, she is happy to step behind the scenes and help Alicia bring her visionfor this show to life. She hopes to be directing a show of her own in the next season or two.

Tim Brown (Producer) Since retiring and becoming an active volunteer at The Colonial Players, Tim has produced anumber of shows, including The Babylon Line earlier this season. He also produced Lucky Stiff; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and It's a Wonderful Life, and was assistantproducer for Boeing Boeing. Other roles have included lighting assistant and programmer for Nine and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll. He stage managed the 2016 production of A Christmas Carol. Tim is production director on CP’s Board of Directors.

Shirley Panek (Stage Manager) Shirley has been spending moretime backstage than on stage recently, and is happy to stage manage such a talented cast. Previous production credits include stage manager (1776, Bat Boy, Venus in Fur, Nine), producer (33 Variations, Sex with Strangers), and lighting designer (Calendar Girls, Cripple of Inishmaan, Clue - The One Week Musical Project, A Few Good Men, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Trying, Moonlight and Magnolias, and Chapter Two (2012 WATCH nominee) - all at Colonial Players. Shirley would like to thank Alicia for trusting her with this amazing cast, Judi for her organization skills and attention to detail, and all of the production staff for their hard work. Love to J, A, and E.

John Purnell (Lighting Designer) John is excited to be working on A New Brain, his third lighting design for The Colonial Players inthe last three years. Last fall he lit the critically acclaimed The Babylon Line. John litlast season’s winter show, Quartet, which won first runner up for a non-musical at the Ruby Griffith awards. In days long gone by, John won CP lighting awards for Driving Miss Daisy and The Road to Mecca. He has also lit Isn’t it Romantic; Rebel Armies Deep Into Chad; and Red, Hot, and Cole at CP. Other lighting designs include Altar Boyz, Light Up the Stars, and the 50th Anniversary Gala at ASGT, and The Dining Room, The Miracle Worker, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Deathtrap, Hexagon, The DC Bar Revue, and The Mikado at other area theaters. In his onstage persona, John has just finished performing Officer Welch in Rumors here at CP. He recently played Warner Purcell in Bullets Over Broadway, Colonel Mustard in Clue: The Musical, and John in If Men Played Cards As Women Do. John’s wife, Claire, is very patient with his thespian activities and often bakes for cast and crew. Yummm!

Charlotte Robinson (Properties Designer) Charlotte joined CP in 1984 and was invited to work backstage in 1988 on the stage crew for Dial M For Murder. Since then she has worked on over 50 shows, several committees,and the Board of Directors. In recent years shehas moved from tech, crew, and stage manager to props responsibilities. Her most recent shows were The Secret Garden, Trying, Side Man, Lucky Stiff, and the 2018 version of A Christmas Carol.

Judi Wobensmith (Assistant Producer) Judi has been involved in over 200 productions in the Annapolis/DC area both on and off stage since 1979. She has produced shows at The Colonial Players, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, Children’s Theatre of Annapolis, and Petrucci’s to name a few. Previous directing credits include: A Christmas Carol (four times at CP), The Music Man, Gigi, The King and I, Carnival, Marriages, Something’s Afoot (at Colonial Players and 2nd Star Productions), The Sunshine Boys, and Mrs. California, among others. She has served three terms on the Board of Directors at CP, two terms as Production Director at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and at Children’s Theatre of Annapolis. Judi has also appeared in various TV commercials and documentaries as well as on MPT. She spends her spare time working at the House of Delegates in Annapolis. She wants to thank all the production staffs, past and present, for giving unstintingly to all the productions on which they have worked. But then, every volunteer at CP invests a lot of time. She also thanks her husband, John, for supporting her theater forays.

Carol Youmans (Set Designer) Carol has been an active member of Colonial Players for almost 40 years, starting as a set painter and learning how to design sets, lights and sound, working toward directing. Since 1985, she has directed many shows at Colonial Players, among which are her favorites, In The Next Room five seasons ago, Dog Logic, Macbeth, Fences, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Having served many times on the Board of Directors, she is currently working to change the focus of the Promising Playwright Contest to more completely engage the playwright and there sources that Colonial Players has to offer on a year long journey from page to stage. Creating this surrealistic set for A New Brain has been an artistic treat! Thanks to Connie Robinson and her crew who have stepped in at the 11th hour to implement my design!

Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Steve Tobin
Produced by Kaelynn Bedsworth
Performance dates:
February 23 - March 23, 2019
Run time: 2h 40m
(including intermission)

Let me now take you to a time and place - not of the doublets, corsets and pumpkin pants of Ye Olde England - but of the shoulder pads, big hair, and Izod shirts of the bedroom community of 1980s Windsor....Connecticut.  The well-to-do Page and Ford families are beset by problems typical of the upwardly mobile classes. The Pages have a daughter that has fallen in love with the “wrong sort” - not the doctor or lawyer that mom and dad prefer.  The Fords are just trying to keep up with their neighbors and fit in. Until... Falstaff enters. This down-on-his-luck Wall Street trader has completely missed the Bull Market and is looking for other sources of income.  He hatches a plan to ensnare Mrs. Ford AND Mrs. Page in a love trap, and extort money from them in order to re-bankroll his former lifestyle.  But the “Real Housewives of Windsor, Connecticut” find out and devise all sorts of tricks and torments for Falstaff...  Meanwhile, the Pages’ daughter hatches plots of her own to get the man she wants.  Set in the free-wheeling, conspicuous consumption-driven, suburban lifestyle of the 1980s, this Shakespearean comedic farce will feature all the music, fashion, and cultural references of the 1980s, but with the language and characters that we love.  Shakespeare and Shtick.  After over a 20-year absence from Colonial Players...The Bard is Back!

To download the production postcard for Merry Wives of Windsor to share with your friends, visit the Downloads page of our website and look under the Production Postcard heading. 

About the Playwright

Shakespeare introduced almost 3,000 new words to the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. He changed nouns into verbs and verbs into adjectives and combined existing words in new ways to give new meanings to existing vocabulary.

About the Director

Steve Tobin returns to The Colonial Players and his classical roots with this production of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Steve's previous CP directing credits include the cup-smashing Chekhov/Durang mash-up Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and the Ruby Griffith award-winning Ives “translaptation” of The Liar. Steve also directed The Diary of Anne Frank and the Helen Hayes Recommended production of the Wilbur translation of The Liar at Compass Rose Theater. He returned to performing a few years ago, appearing as the yellow-eyed Jacob Marley in the 2016 version of CP's A Christmas Carol. Steve received his undergraduate degree in theater from Yale, where he studied with Nikos Psacharopoulos and Murray Biggs and performed in or directed over a dozen different productions. He did his professional acting apprenticeship under Paul Barry at The New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, where he worked on 10 productions and was the assistant director for Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. He also appeared in Center Stage's production of The Misanthrope and East Side Productions’ The Elephant Man. Directing credits include the borscht belt comedy Catch Me If You Can (at CP), Laura and The Elephant Man (Trinity Players), Sleeping Beauty (Adventure Theater), Pool Fever and At Xmas (Source Theater), and several staged readings at St. John’s College. He also serves on the boards of the Annapolis High School Drama Boosters and The Colonial Players. In his spare time, Steve enjoys being with his family, making awful puns, and watching old British sitcoms late at night.

Director's Notes

The Bard is Back! It's been a very long time since The Colonial Players mounted a production of Shakespeare - over 20 years, and believe it or not, this production of The Merry Wives of Windsor is only the sixth production of Shakespeare CP has done since it's founding 70 years ago. Ever since we produced The Liar in CP's Season 66, I've been itching to get Shakespeare back into the theater. We've GOT to stop just reading these things and keep performing them. So why Merry Wives? Well, it is a farce (which I love), and there is such joy and fun in staging one of Shakespeare's comedies. It also has strong female characters that truly control the plot. And to top it off, it has NO royalty and takes place in the Elizabethan version of suburbia, rather than exotic or courtly locations – all of which means that it actually is a very “modern” play. It shows that we have a lot more in common with the Elizabethans than perhaps we know. And then there's Falstaff. The “Fat Knight” is just one of those characters that audiences (and actors) love. He is rakish and ridiculous. Laughable and lovable. Alliterative and all-encompassing. So why the 1980's? I have to admit that I don't typically like “re-settings” of Shakespeare's plays. I sometimes feel directors selfishly use the device to promote “a concept” rather than to serve the script or the audience. They often work really well for a few scenes, but are very forced in others. However, in thinking about this play, I knew I had to make it even more accessible to modern audiences. I went to high school and college in the 1980's, and I began to see the parallels almost at once. The conspicuous consumption of the Reagan years, the affluent suburbs, Gordon Gekko's Wall Street, the pop culture icons, all seemed to fit right in. I could translate every scene into a 1980's parallel universe. More jokes, gags, and bits came flowing, and once we started rehearsals, we found even more. It has all clicked, and the result is a celebration of Shakespeare and 1980's American pop culture. Shakespeare and Schtick. Merry Wives and MTV! I am very grateful to The Colonial Players for the opportunity to bring such a huge and complex production to life. The shear logistics of collaborating with such a large (and wonderful) cast and crew rival that of any full-scale musical. There are nearly 50 people involved in this production, some taking on roles behind the scenes as well as on the stage. I may have been the one to propose this lovably insane project, but without everyone's help, I would just be staring at the walls muttering “buck-basket” over and over again. I often say that putting on plays (especially comedies) is like the very best jazz, with everyone creating the inspirations for the performance. This cast and this crew are truly outstanding jazz “musicians.”

Finally, I'd also like to thank my family for putting up with my nearly two-year obsession with this play, especially to Diana, who took care of me and the cast during rehearsals, and of course Joanna. Shakespeare brought us together over 30 years ago, and this production is a bit of a tribute to those years at the NJSF. “I would not wish any companion in the world but you” (The Tempest).

– STEVE TOBIN

The Cast

Mark T. Allen (Sir Hugh Evans) - Mark is delighted to be back on stage again with The Colonial Players. His most recent acting stint here was playing Diabelli in 33 Variations in the fall of 2017. Other favorite roles include the ghost of John Barrymore in I Hate Hamlet, Mr. Paravicini in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, Tony Scudamore in The Brides of March (each with Laurel Mill Playhouse), and Curtis Appleby in Night Watch at the Columbia Community Players. He will direct CP’s June production of Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero. As always, he gives many, many thanks to Megan, Ben, Ivy, Piper, and Jasper -- and to the Tuggers for all their love and support.

Richard Atha-Nicholls (Nym/Sound Designer) - Richard is doing double duty on this show, working both on and back stage. He has previously engineered or designed sound for numerous productions, primarily at The Colonial Players and Laurel Mill Playhouse. His sound designs have garnered two WATCH nominations. Richard has appeared on area stages, and in his spare time helps run Discworld conventions. Occasionally, he has been known to direct. Love to C, A & P. Always in my heart, O.

Paul Banville (Robert) - Paul returns for his second show at The Colonial Players this season after appearing in the December production of A Christmas Carol. He first appeared on our stage in The City of Conversation shortly after relocating from New England in 2017, and he appreciated the welcoming community spirit he found at CP. He is happy to be back performing on our stage.

Jean Berard (Mistress Quickly) - Jean is beyond excited to be part of this production. Recent roles include Frau Blucher in Silhouette Stages’ production of Young Frankenstein, Dr. Ladenburger in 33 Variations at The Colonial Players, and Ethel in Moon Over Buffalo at Laurel Mill; but playing Shakespeare has always been on her list of “hope to do that someday,” and now it is a reality. And with what a fabulous director, cast, and crew! It truly does not get any better than this. Of course, she couldn’t do any of this without the love and support of her husband, Jim (aka “Mr. Wonderful”). Thank you to all for coming to see this show – may you have as much fun watching it as we did preparing it.

Tom Bethards (John/Ensemble) - Tom would like to thank Steve for this opportunity to make his debut as a Shakespearean actor and to return to The Colonial Players stage! He previously appeared in CP productions of 1776 (Mr. Morris), Annie! (Mr. Bundles/Hull/Ensemble), and A Christmas Carol (Dick Wilkens/Topper/Ensemble). He has also performed with Silhouette Stages in Oliver! (Mr. Sowerberry), Prince Georges Little Theatre in Once Upon A Mattress (Sir Render/ Ensemble), and the Little Theatre of Alexandria in A Christmas Carol (Old Joe). He also enjoys choral singing, cabaret singing, and playing the piano. He thanks his family, his friends, and his fellow cast members for all of their support.”

Brian Binney (Master Ford) - Brian is thrilled to be back at The Colonial Players with this fabulous cast and production team. He previously appeared here this season as Lenny in Rumors and in the 2017 One Act Festival (Zipless). He has also appeared locally in PGLT’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Lawrence Jameson) and Lost in Yonkers (Louie); in Second Star’s HMS Pinafore (Captain Corcoran), Kiss Me, Kate (Fred Graham), and Peter and the Starcatcher (Chief Fighting Prawn); in GAC’s Pippin (Charlemagne), Frost/Nixon (Bob Zelnick), Big River (Duke); and in The Rude Mechanical’s Merchant of Venice (a different Duke); as Dave Moss in the Dead Cat’s Glengary Glen Ross at the Capitol Fringe Festival; and at LMP as Father in Ragtime, Father Jack in Dancing at Lughnasa, and the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance - to name a few favorites. Love and thanks to Jeaneo, Chris, and Kat - and thanks again, Colonial, for letting us play on your stage!

Rosalie Daelemans (Bardoff) - Rosalie is delighted to be a part of this wonderful production with such a talented cast and crew. She most recently performed at The Colonial Players in Rumors (Cassie Cooper), the One Act Festival, and in Calendar Girls (Elaine). Other favorite shows include: The Importance of Being Ernest (Lady Bracknell), Noises Off (Vickie/Brooke), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Maggie Cutler), Bloody Murder (Jane), Fox on the Fairway (Pamela), On Golden Pond (Chelsea), Run for Your Wife (Mary), Don’t Dress for Dinner (Suzette), Steel Magnolias (M’Lynn), City of Angels (Alaura), South Pacific (Nellie), Damn Yankees (Lola), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), My Fair Lady (Eliza), and Mame (Gooch). Offstage, Rosalie has helped in various capacities with stage managing, costumes, props, lighting, set dressing, and painting. Tremendous thanks to everyone for their support, creativity, hard work, and sense of humor! 

Rebecca Downs (Mistress Ford) - Rebecca is thrilled to be back at The Colonial Players working again with director Steve Tobin. She has worked professionally on both coasts, onstage and on-camera, doing principal and guest-starring spots on shows such CSI Miami, Robbery Homicide Division; Will & Grace; Everybody Loves Raymond and Another World. She has looped movies and recorded characters for animated series and video games, including multiple characters for the World Of Warcraft series. She premiered Dancing With Miracles off-Broadway at The Whole Theater Co. and Captain Neato-Man at The Westbank Cafe. In commercials, no matter what the product - Nyquil, Toyota, Applebees, Taco Bell, Verizon - she’s always “The mom.” Also a professional jazz singer and published songwriter, Rebecca collaborated on music for films such as Wedding Crashers, Down With Love, The Cooler, and Monster-InLaw. She is grateful to her loving, crazy family for making her look sane by comparison.

Bill Fellows (Dr. Caius) - Bill is thrilled to be in his first production with The Colonial Players. He would like to both thank and apologize profusely to his family, friends, and fellow cast members who have had to endure his sometimes overzealous preparations for this role. He recently played the role of Herr Meuller in BCT’s production of Frankenstein, and you may also have seen him as Von Hussler in Mary Poppins or Pawnee Bill in Annie Get Your Gun, both with 2nd Star Productions. Some of his notable roles in the more distant past include Tito Merelli in Lend Me a Tenor, Fleetfoot in Little Mary Sunshine, and Mr. Wilson in Harvey.

Brian Klose (Fenton) - The Merry Wives of Windsor is Brian’s debut with The Colonial Players. He is a lifelong Annapolitan, attending St. Mary’s for 13 years and continuing his education at Washington College in Chestertown, MD, where he graduated with a BA in theater. While at WC, Brian acted, designed, directed, and stage managed over a dozen productions, as well as performing and co-managing the school’s improv club. Brian is extremely excited to be back on stage with the Bard in his hometown. He thanks his family, friends, and everyone who has helped him along his journey in theater.

Matt Leyendecker (Falstaff) - Matt is very proud to debut with The Colonial Players. He most recently appeared in Becky’s New Car with BCT, and a “blinkand-you'll-miss-it” cameo for The Play That Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theater in London. Other theater credits include The Mousetrap, The Uninvited, and A Shot In The Dark with PGLT; An Inspector Calls with LMP; and Inherit the Wind with the Vagabond Players. He is most excited to perform Shakespeare for the first time in more than two decades. His last experience with the Bard was at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in 1994. He is blessed to have the support of family and friends, but most importantly, he hopes the audience enjoys this performance. “You are the reason we all take time out of our very busy lives to tell you stories of mystery and suspense, comedy and drama, exultation and tragedy, and so many others. Thank you for coming to see the culmination of months of very hard but very rewarding work.”

Mary McLeod (Host) - Mary is excited to be part of the cast of The Merry Wives of Windsor. She has acted in many theater productions in the Washington/Annapolis area over the years. Some of her favorite roles include the aging British rocker in VVVC Production’s Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; Sister Aloysius in Dignity Players’ production of Doubt, and, at The Colonial Players, Eileen Osbourne in The Cripple of Inishmaan, Terry Glimmer in Side Man (DCMetroTheaterArts 2015 List of Best Performances in Community Theater - Actress in a Play), Lady Boyle in Superior Donuts (WATCH Award Nominee-Cameo), Lettice Douffet in Lettice and Lovage, Nancy Shirley in Frozen (WATCH Award Nominee-Lead Actress), and Marjorie Taub in The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife. As always, she thanks her husband Alan, and her daughter Carter for all their patience and support.

Isabel Messina (Robin) - Isabel is excited to make her debut with The Colonial Players. She is a ninth grader in the theater program at Annapolis High School, and her experience includes Pygmalion (Clara), Hamlet (Player Queen), and Camelot (u/s Tom of Warwick) at Compass Rose Theater and A Christmas Carol (Fan/Belinda) at Annapolis Shakespeare Company. She has appeared in student productions, including Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena), Aladdin Jr. (Sultan), The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell), and Neil Simon’s Fools (Sophia). Izzy sends hugs and thanks to the Merry Wives cast and crew, Fred the coffee cup, her parents and friends, her theater classmates, and Ms. Lottie Porch for their inspiration and encouragement and especially to Mr. Tobin for this wonderful opportunity. Enjoy the show!

Sherri Millan (Ensemble) - Sherri appeared onstage at The Colonial Players in productions of Ernest in Love, Morning’s at Seven and A Christmas Carol. She is thrilled to be part of this new take on Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor, and would like to say thank you to everyone who freely volunteers their time and energy to make these productions so special.

Edd Miller (Justice Shallow/Set Designer) - “It's always an honor to be asked to design a set. I love the process of watching the design evolve and grow and come to fruition. I'd like to recruit others to share this joy. Colonial Players needs you. Thank you, Steve, for the honor and opportunity to design the set and appear in the play as well. Keeps me busy and alive.” Recent theater endeavors include acting in Quartet and The Cripple of Inishmaan; designing sets for Sex with Strangers as well as Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike; and directing Good People and Coyote on a Fence. Edd won the WATCH Award for best direction of a play for Going to St. Ives and The Ruby Griffith Award for I Never Sang For My Father.

Erica Miller (Mistress Page) - Erica is very excited to be a part of this silly, yet challenging play. She is so grateful to be working with Steve, Rebecca, and the rest of the talented cast and crew. Erica's most recent credits are Belle/Fred's Wife in A Christmas Carol at The Colonial Players, Claudia in Nine at CP (WATCH nomination), Ulla in The Producers at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls with 2nd Star Productions. Off the stage, Erica can be seen practicing her lines for this show. She wishes to thank the family, friends, and innocent bystanders who have been affected by her second-hand Shakespeare.

Lesley Miller (Ensemble) - Lesley is happy to be back on the CP stage, having most recently been seen as Mrs. Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol (her 8th year appearing in that show). She has performed with many groups in the area over the years, including 2nd Star Productions, Bowie Community Theatre, Theater 11, and Dignity Players. Her last performance in a Shakespeare play was as Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew at ASGT in 2004, so it has been a while! Thanks to all involved in the production; hope you enjoy it!

Richard Miller (Slender) - Richard is happy to be back on The Colonial Players stage and especially excited to be bringing back Shakespeare. He was last seen at CP in 2017’s One Act Festival in Christopher Durang’s ‘Dentity Crisis. Previous Shakespeare credits include Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus) Much Ado About Nothing (Don Pedro), and Two Gentlemen of Verona (Proteus). Other regional credits: The Lion in Winter (Philip), Oliver! (Bill Sikes), The Mousetrap (Trotter), Cabaret (Ernst), and The Real Inspector Hound (Simon). “Special thanks to the cast and crew of Merry Wives for all their hard work and dedication, Lindsey for all the help, my parents and family for their support, and of course Ewan and Finn.”

Jeff Macho (Master Page) - Jeff is both excited and a little terrified to be a last minute addition to this talented cast. Last seen in CP's Venus and Fur, he last performed in Merry Wives ... when he was young enough to play Fenton. He is eternally grateful to his wife, for her unwavering support in all aspects of his life. Thanks as well to the amazing Amy, and her clever use of props. Also to Lyanna who, once again, has helped me cram a lot of lines. The cast and crew have been a godsend, and I thank them for all their help making sure I get on and off the stage when expected. 

Victoria Scalfaro (Jane Rugby) - Victoria is excited to be debuting in her first Shakespeare production! This is her second show with Colonial Players, previously appearing as Clara in 33 Variations. She was a featured dancer in Mary Poppins at 2nd Star Productions. Victoria has been an avid performer in theater since she was five years old. Some notable credits include Maria in The Sound of Music, Molly in Annie, and Laurie in Oklahoma!. Off the stage, Victoria is the theater director at Southern High School as well as an elementary music teacher. She recently was nominated for Teacher of the Year for Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Drew Sharpe (Pistol/Simple) - Drew is a 16-year-old sophomore at Annapolis High School. He is so excited to be in this production! Some favorite roles include Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, The Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Ladahlord in James and the Giant Peach, Amahl in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Lucas in The Addams Family, and Narrator in Into The Woods. Besides acting, he enjoys playing piano and writing music. A big thanks to his family and friends for their support, as well as the production team for the opportunity. ENJOY!

Emma Wilansky (Anne Page) - Emma is thrilled to be in her first production with The Colonial Players! She has had a blast working with the wonderful cast and directing team as she got the chance to be in her first Shakespearean play. Some of her previous roles include Hope in Anything Goes; Pugsley in The Addams Family; Lucy in You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; and Pilar in Legally Blonde. She is currently the head choreographer for the AHS Drama Company production of The Little Mermaid and is finishing up her senior year in the IB Program. She would like to thank the amazing directing team for working with her crazy college audition schedule, and her family and friends for always supporting her and cheering her on. 

The Production Staff

Amy Atha-Nicholls (Costume Designer) Maker of stuff, nonsense, and mischief by decree. Amy has worn many hats, including puppeteer, costumer, pyrographer, designer, playwright, archer, wench (when required), and assassin on occasion (specializing in heart attacks...) Her latest hat is Chair of the North American Discworld Convention this summer in L.A. - nadwcon2019.org. She would like to thank the cast for being her living dolls. Love always to R & P, evermore O.

Kaelynn Bedsworth (Producer) This is Kaelynn’s tenth season with CP, and she has volunteered both on the stage and off in a variety of roles, from actress to go-button pusher to steampunk wig maker to Looney Tunes sound effect specialist to smushed banana cleaner. You may have seen her grace the stage in The Secret Garden, Annie, 1776, A Christmas Carol, Moonlight and Magnolias, and more. Behind the scenes, she has produced, costume designed, sound designed, and scene painted for many shows over the last few years. Kaelynn currently serves as Treasurer on CP's Board of Directors. She sends love to her husband Wes, who shares this crazy theater world with her on a daily basis.

Alex Brady (Lighting Designer) Alex is a critically acclaimed lighting designer with more than 15 years of experience working with professional, academic, and community theaters across Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington D.C. He has been nominated for multiple awards for his inventive and subtle approach to lighting. Alex is the resident lighting designer for the AACC Dance Company, where he works with nationally renowned choreographer Lynda Fitzgerald. Alex also volunteers his talents to several local high schools as a designer and technical advisor. He is a full-time audio engineer and an adjunct faculty member at Anne Arundel Community College, where he teaches courses in film and architectural history. Alex is an alumnus of the Graduate Institute at St. John’s College.

Sarah Irving (Assistant Director) Sarah is a senior at St. John's College. This is her second show with CP following Rumors last fall. Sarah is in her second term as president of the King William Players at St. John's and will open her own Rumors with that group in April. Favorite past credits include Spring Awakening (Director), God of Carnage (Annette), Hairspray (Prudy Pingleton), and The Winter's Tale (Director). Love and thanks to Steve, Sean, Rome, and Mom.

Ernie Morton (Stage Manager) Ernie has served as stage manager at CP for a number of shows since starting off with the 2014 One Acts Festival. When Ernie is not running around backstage at CP, he drives back and forth to DC. There he works as an analyst for the Coast Guard, when he’s not playing saxophone with the Coast Guard Headquarters Big Band, The Cutters. In his infinitesimal spare time, he looks for golf balls, usually finding ones other people have lost, not the one he played last.

Constance Robinson (Properties Designer/Set Decorator) Since 2003 Connie has volunteered as a public relations consultant, graphic designer, box office assistant, properties designer, and set decorator for The Colonial Players. She serves on the Marketing Committee and is currently Chair of the Nominations Committee for the upcoming board elections. Connie has collected props for over 16 productions at The Colonial Players and at other local theaters. She is proud to have received three WATCH nominations for Properties Designing. Connie enjoys her volunteer hours because of the terrific people she works with. She thanks her husband, John, for his continued assistance fixing or creating props, and is also grateful to friends for their support.

Written by Richard Greenberg
Directed by Jennifer Cooper
Produced by Tim Brown
Performance dates:
October 19 - November 10, 2018
Run time: 2h 45m
(including intermission)

Levittown, 1967. It’s the first night of an adult-ed creative writing course at the local high school. The teacher, Aaron Port, lives in Greenwich Village and reverse commutes once a week on the Long Island Rail Road’s Babylon line. His students are a bit of a mixed bag: so many potential writers, so many tales to be told. Aaron is, of course, the storyteller-in-chief, and it is his wry and rueful recollections of that season in Levittown that frame the proceedings. As the actors take on multiple roles as characters in each other’s stories, the audience is gifted with an engaging tableau of love, loss, and the yearning for understanding in 1960s suburbia. Mr. Greenberg allows all his characters their moments in the authorial spotlight, with narratives that inevitably become more and more self-revealing, as no one’s story is as simple as it first might seem.

To download the production postcard for The Babylon Line to share with your friends, visit the Downloads page of our website and look under the Production Postcard heading. 

About the Playwright

Richard Greenberg is a Tony Award-winning playwright and television writer who has had more than 25 plays performed at Broadway and off-Broadway theaters. He is best known for Take Me Out, the story of a major league baseball star whose casual revelation that he is homosexual stirs controversy in his team’s clubhouse. Following a successful run in London, it swept major New York theater awards in 2003, including the Tony Award for best play. Ten years later, Greenberg’s The Assembled Players was nominated for a Tony and won the Drama Desk Award for best play. Greenberg also was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Three Days of Rain in 1998 and Take Me Out in 2003.

About the Director

Jennifer Cooper is making her Colonial Players mainstage directorial debut, coming out of CP’s 2017 One Act Festival as director of David Ives’ The Universal Language, which went on to win awards for Excellence in Directing, Outstanding Production, and Technical Excellence at the 2018 Maryland Community Theater Festival. Some of her previous directing work includes Agnes of God, Spoon River Anthology, and Tartuffe. Stage credits include Procne (The Song of Procne), Rizzo (Grease), Audrey (Little Shop of Horrors), Rita (Educating Rita), and Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins). My deepest gratitude is extended to The Colonial Players for this humbling opportunity and full support, and to a super-talented, kind, and collaborative creative team. THEY have built this — my role is simply that of compass. All my love and appreciation to Noah, who daily drives me to be better, and David, who buoys me through all of my wading. And to MB, who through all these years remembers, and reminds me who I am; THIS is because of you.

Director's Notes

I have questions. In 2018, I always have questions. Daily, the world around me causes me to wonder, guess, suspect, doubt, dig deeper, and chronically try to figure it all out. Often I wade through oceans of information, struggling to make sense of it all. And so it is with The Babylon Line. On my first read, I cried because of its depth and richness. Its characters led me to introspection and psychological Sherlock-ing. And, it continually leads me to: So. Many. Questions. The play opens with an 87-year-old Aaron Port sharing recollections of the events surrounding an autumn 1967 creative writing class, to which he traveled on the Babylon train line from Greenwich Village to Levittown, New York. What compels a man to recount the happenings of a small — seemingly insignificant — class from almost 50 years prior? What would move you to tell a story from 50 years ago, now? The central themes of this piece are universal, untouched by time: What stories do we choose to tell, and how do we remember them? Where do we find hope? What is the soil that makes us grow? Ever present, how do we connect with one other? Our playwright, Richard Greenberg, makes a very specific choice in the title and setting of this play. Here, our reference is Babylon of Mesopotamia, a place in biblical writing describing how the many and varied peoples there were able to come to understand each other. Greenberg mirrors ancient texts in his description of people of different cultures, opinions, views, and socio-political leanings, meeting up in a dingy Levittown high school, taking an evening writing class, trying to make their own stories meaningfully understood. Meaningfully understood. And, actually, I’ll leave you to the questions — and possibly the answers — you may find here with us, today. Come find me to chat. I’d love to know your questions, too. Because my goal here, with this play, in this life, is that we are ALL meaningfully understood. Only ever love.

– JENNIFER COOPER

The Cast

Ron Giddings (Aaron Port) - Ron was a creative writing teacher in a former life, so getting into this role was like falling off a horse, to some extent. He most recently appeared at CP as Nick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (WATCH award for Best Featured Actor in a Play) and as Edgar/Bat Boy in Bat Boy: The Musical (WATCH award for Best Actor in a Musical). He has acted in the area with Dundalk Community Theatre, Cockpit in Court, Dignity Players, Moonlight Troupers, 2nd Star Productions, Phoenix Festival Theatre, the Maryland Arts Festival, and Standing O in john & jen (John), The Musical of Musicals (Jitter), Tracers (Scooter), This is Our Youth (Dennis), and the US Premiere of After the Dance (Peter). He will next direct Gypsy at 2nd Star in the spring. A huge thank you to the cast and crew of The Babylon Line for their talents and dedication to telling this important story. “Thanks to my parents, family, and friends for being more supportive than I could ever express.”

Jack Leitess (Marc Adams) - Jack is a senior at Broadneck High School and has performed in a variety of shows both in and out of school. He is excited to perform in his second Colonial Players production after appearing as Billy Claven in 2016’s The Cripple of Inishmaan, and would like to thank the awesome cast and crew for working so hard to put together a great show. He would also like to thank his family and friends for supporting him. Enjoy the show!

Mary MacLeod (Anna Cantor) - Mary is excited to be part of the cast of The Babylon Line. She has appeared in many theater productions in the Washington/ Annapolis area over the years. Some of her favorite roles include the aging British rocker in VVVC Production’s Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll; Sister Aloysius in Dignity Players’ production of Doubt; and, at The Colonial Players, Terry Glimmer in Side Man (DCMetroTheaterArts 2015 List of Best Performances in Community Theater - Actress in a Play); Lady Boyle in Superior Donuts (WATCH Award Nominee - Cameo); Lettice Douffet in Lettice and Lovage; Nancy Shirley in Frozen (WATCH Award Nominee - Lead Actress); and Marjorie Taub in The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife. As always, she thanks her husband, Alan, and her daughter, Carter, for all their patience and support.

Lindsey Miller (Midge Braverman) - Lindsey is happy to return to The Colonial Players stage, where she was last seen as Mrs. Cratchit in CP’s 2016 production of A Christmas Carol. Other recent credits include Gloria Thorpe in Damn Yankees, Ms. Rue Who, Herself (Bless the Lord) in Godspell, Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden, and Sister James in Doubt. Lindsey holds a B.A. in Theater and Vocal Performance and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education. “Thank you to the staff of Babylon for all their hard work and to Mom and my family for all the love and support. Rich, a big thank you for all the help. To Joe, I Don’t Not, Always, SPF. And hugs and kisses to my shining stars Ewan and Finnegan.”

Robin Schwartz (Joan Dellamond) - Robin is thrilled to be a part of this incredible ensemble. A graduate of Goucher College with a degree in Theatre and Communications, she spent several years teaching theater classes, directing, and managing local theater productions. After taking time to focus exclusively on her all time favorite project (being mom to two boys), she is back on stage! Earlier this year, she was honored to win Outstanding Performance from the Maryland Community Theatre Festival representing Colonial Players in Universal Language. “Special thanks to my husband for supporting me tirelessly and unconditionally, to family and friends for their loving encouragement and so much gratitude, and love to Jen and the whole Colonial Players team for the opportunity to create theater with some truly amazing people.”

Jeff Sprague (Jack Hassenpflug) - Jeff’s last appearance at The Colonial Players was in 2017’s The City of Conversation. Prior to that, he had roles in The Liar; Coyote on a Fence; 1776; Sunlight; Chapter Two; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change; Over My Dead Body; Les Liaisons Dangereuses; Kiss Me, Kate; Kindertransport; and Jekyll and Hyde. Other credits include: Blue/Orange, The Crucible, and Sight Unseen at Dignity Players of Annapolis; Thoroughly Modern Millie, Hairspray, and Anything Goes at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre; and Little Shop of Horrors at 2nd Star Productions. Directorial credits include Terrence McNally’s Botticelli and Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men at The Colonial Players. Jeff is a trial attorney in DC by day; he sends his love to Kathleen and Ollie.

Alicia Sweeney (Frieda Cohen) - Alicia was last seen at The Colonial Players this summer as Shelley in Job  Loss Figures, winner of CP’s Promising Playwright contest. She also appeared in last season’s musical Nine, which earned for her a nomination for Best Lead Actress in a musical by the Washington Area Theatre Community Honors. Favorite roles include Morticia (The Addams Family), The McShane Sextuplets (Wonder of the World), and Diana Morales (A Chorus Line). Alicia will be directing the musical A New Brain as part of The Colonial Players’ 70th season next spring. Thank you to CP, Jennifer Cooper, the cast and crew of The Babylon Line, and you, the audience, for supporting live theater. 

The Production Staff

Lois Banscher (Properties Designer) Lois has been involved in some 20 shows with The Colonial Players since 2009. In addition to handling props, she has assisted with ushers, set decoration, painting, costumes, coordinating talk backs after plays, and helping with special CP celebrations. As properties designer, Lois has received two WATCH nominations and the WATCH award for Virginia Woolf in 2016. Lois, along with prop bud Connie Robinson, recently teamed up for Shiloh Rules. Lois welcomes this opportunity to work on The Babylon Line with a production team that “thinks out of the box.” Many thank yous to all the behind-the-scenes folks, family members, and friends who help make these shows happen!

Nick Beschen (Set Designer) This is Nick’s first venture into the set design world. This new experience has been fun and an opportunity to learn yet another piece of the wonderful puzzle that makes theater happen. Nick would like to thank Jennifer, the director, for taking a chance on him and Edd Miller, play consultant and set designer extraordinaire, for his patience and guidance. Enjoy the show!

Tim Brown (Producer) Since retiring and becoming an active volunteer, Tim has produced a number of shows, including Lucky Stiff; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; and It's a Wonderful Life; and was assistant producer for Boeing Boeing. Other roles have included lighting assistant and programmer for Nine and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll. He was stage manager for CP's most recent production of A Christmas Carol. He sends thanks to all the wonderful people at this, his favorite theater, who have been so welcoming and fun to work with.

David Cooper (Sound Designer) After a 20 year hiatus, David has been re-engaging in the theater community and is excited to be involved with The Colonial Players. He has provided behind-the-scenes support on Sex With Strangers and the regional short play festival and has performed during the summer pub reading series. For The Babylon Line, he has taken a technical role, exploring the auditory world that permeated the lives of these characters in the mid-sixties and throughout their lives. “He stepped on his dreams so many times he wore out the path he needed to take to find the life he thought would just happen to him like the changing of the seasons.” - Craig Elkins

Andy McLendon (Stage Manager) The Babylon Line is the latest of many productions that Andy has stage managed since she first became involved with CP in the 1970s. She was last seen in her SM shirt with the production of Job Loss Figures. Other memorable productions with The Colonial Players include Casa Valentina, Calendar Girls, The Secret Garden, Mornings at Seven, Closer Than Ever, The Robber Bridegroom, Prelude to a Kiss, They're Playing Our Song, Enter the Guardsman, Cabaret, and Blood Brothers. Andy has volunteered for a number of jobs at CP, including conducting stage manager workshops. Again, it is exciting and rewarding to be working with such a talented and creative cast and production staff.

John Purnell (Lighting Designer) The Babylon Line is John’s second lighting design since returning to The Colonial Players, including last season’s Quartet, which won first runner-up for a non-musical at the Ruby Griffith awards. In days long gone by, John won CP lighting awards for Driving Miss Daisy and The Road to Mecca. He has also lit Isn’t it Romantic; Rebel Armies Deep Into Chad; and Red, Hot, and Cole at CP. Other lighting designs include Altar Boyz, Light Up the Stars and the 50th Anniversary Gala at ASGT, and The Dining Room, The Miracle Worker, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Deathtrap, Hexagon, The DC Bar Revue, and The Mikado at other area theaters. In his on-stage persona, John has just finished performing Officer Welch in Rumors here at CP. He recently played Warner Purcell in Bullets Over Broadway, Colonel Mustard in Clue – The Musical, and John in If Men Played Cards As Women Do. John’s wife, Claire, is very supportive of all this theater stuff and he is very grateful for her patience.

Courtney Spikes (Assistant Director) For her first production role at The Colonial Players, Courtney is thrilled to be learning the ropes from Babylon’s talented director, Jennifer Cooper. Courtney grew up in Annapolis and enjoyed performing and working backstage with CP, Severn School, and CTA. One of her favorite childhood memories at CP involved making the messy charcoal marks on the Charwoman’s skirt for so many (many) years ago! Courtney would like to thank the entire Babylon production team for welcoming her to the community, as well as her husband and son who have been so supportive.

Beth Starnes (Costume Designer) Beth has assisted in countless theater productions and enjoys working behind the scenes. Her most recent CP credit was as co-hair/make-up designer for Nine (watch nominated). One of her favorite credits is animal costume designer for 2nd Star’s Children of Eden, which won the 2014 WATCH Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical. In real life, Beth is the librarian for Southern High School, where she is passionate about digital citizenship and teen literacy. Most importantly, she is mother to three wonderful young adults: Stephanie, Austin, and Daniel (her actor who started all this). Beth would like to extend special thanks to The Babylon Line cast, Lois and Jennifer, and always her husband, Jeff, for his unwavering support of her theater endeavors.

Play and Lyrics by Richard Wade
Music by Richard Gessner
Directed by Sarah Wade
Produced by Tim Brown, Tom Stuckey
Performance dates:
December 6 - 16, 2018
Run time: 90m
(no intermission)

This classic production takes place, as Mr. Dickens himself would have it, in the streets of Victorian London and in the counting house and bedchamber of Ebenezer Scrooge. In the revelations of his visitors and in his memory, we are transported to times and places of Scrooge's past, present, and future. A Christmas Carol has been produced by Colonial Players of Annapolis since 1981.

To download the production postcard for A Christmas Carol to share with your friends, visit the Downloads page of our website and look under the Production Postcard heading. A PDF of the playbill is also available in the same location under the Production Playbills heading! 

About the Director

Sarah Wade is extremely pleased to be making her directorial debut with A Christmas Carol. Having first appeared on the CP stage in the 2000 production as the Turkey Boy at the age of 10, she has performed in ACC 11 times, playing Martha Cratchit, Belle (twice), the Charwoman (twice), and ensemble roles. She was most recently seen on stage in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, winning a Washington Area Theater Community Honors (WATCH) acting award for her performance as Honey. Before that, she performed as Gabriella in Boeing, Boeing; Cecily Cardew in Ernest in Love (WATCH nominated); Isabelle/Sabine in The Liar (WATCH nominated); Catherine Donohue in These Shining Lives; Star-to-Be in Annie; Jessica in Communicating Doors; and Kitty in Taking Steps. She has also served as sound designer for Sex with Strangers, Calendar Girls, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Side Man, and Watch on the Rhine. She would like to offer some thanks. “To those who have mentored me, Lois and Steve, thank you for all you have taught me and your patience in doing so. To Debbie, for being the best play consultant I could have asked for. To Eric, for doing this show and for being supportive in those secret moments when I don't know what I'm doing. To Lindsay, I love you, thank you for cleaning up after my messes. To my father, as this torch is passed, thank you for supporting me, believing in me, and encouraging me. I hope you like it."

About the Adapter/Lyricist

Rick Wade has been writing, directing, and occasionally performing for Maryland theaters for more than 40 years. In addition to A Christmas Carol, written in 1981, he has authored the plays and lyrics for eight other musicals produced locally and regionally. He has directed for the Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, Bay Theatre, Compass Rose Theater, and other companies, including nearly 30 dramas, comedies, and musicals for The Colonial Players. Last season, he appeared as Reggie in the comedy/drama Quartet. He is proud to have served for five years as CP’s president and for many years on its Board of Directors. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Arnold and are particularly happy that their daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Eric Hufford, are active Colonial Players members.

About the Composer

Dick Gessner collaborated with Rick Wade to write the music for A Christmas Carol and also wrote music for Wade’s adaptations of children’s musicals Pinocchio, Puss ‘n Boots, Rumpelstiltskin, and Treasure Island. A popular entertainer in the Annapolis area for many years, Gessner is now retired and living in Florida. He served as musical director for many productions in Maryland, including Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, and My Fair Lady at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and Little Mary Sunshine; The Apple Tree; You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown; The Contrast; and Carnival at Colonial Players. 

About the Choreographer

Lindsay Zetter returns for her second production of A Christmas Carol, and her fourth musical with The Colonial Players, having also served as choreographer for Ernest in Love and Lucky Stiff. Classically trained in ballet since age three, she loved choreographing as soon as she knew the steps. Since receiving a degree in arts management from Indiana University, she has been associate artistic director of Academy Ballet School since 2011 and is the dance director at The Key School. She has staged and choreographed ballet productions of Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty. Other productions include Once Upon a Mattress, Cats, Grease, Chicago, The Addams Family, and Annapolis Opera’s Faust. She is thrilled to be working with Sarah Wade (one of her oldest friends) and wishes her the best on her directorial debut.  

About the Music Director

Emma Godfrey is is thrilled to join The Colonial Players for the first time as music director for A Christmas Carol. Emma is a music teacher at Brooklyn Park Middle School, a drama teacher at Gotta Sing Gotta Dance Musical Theatre Workshop, and a private piano and voice teacher. She holds degrees in vocal performance and music education from Alderson Broaddus University. She has music directed for several shows, including The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Bridgeport High School), Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory Jr., and Guys and Dolls Jr. (Brooklyn Park Middle School). She has accompanied numerous choirs and soloists in Maryland and West Virginia.

Director's Notes

I was born in 1989. Seven years before that, A Christmas Carol first appeared on our stage, a product of love, determination, and the sheer belief of the cast and crew that this musical was something special. And they were right. From 1982 until 2008, Colonial Players mounted this show every year, to sold out audiences, and every other year since then. It is a very surreal feeling to be writing these words. At 10, I played the Turkey Boy. At 16, I played Belle for the first time. And at 23, I returned from a hiatus away (after college, and then some time away), and met a stranger who would eventually become my husband. Weird, huh? Thanks, Dad! But I digress.

What is it about this show that brings people back year after year? It's because the story remains so meaningful. It reinforces the belief that we can change; that it's still possible to become a better person; that redemption in our hearts and the eyes of others is attainable for us all. I believe that this theme is the most important because it applies to us all. A fundamental part of our humanity is having faith in ourselves and in others, especially during the holidays. But I think my father took it a step further when he wrote for Scrooge: "Me, Ebenezer Scrooge, I shall indeed keep Christmas all the year long!" It's not about being a better person for a season. It's about keeping the spirit of kindness, generosity, and compassion throughout the year. I think in these times, it's more important than ever to keep these values alive in our hearts.

When I was away at college, getting close to the holidays, but feeling a little homesick, I would listen to “Bless Us All,” one of my favorite songs from this show. I leave you with the verse that brought me particular comfort:

“You can go from post to pillar,
Home is where you go to stay.
Bless us all.”

Bless us, everyone.

- SARAH WADE

The Cast

Susanne Anderson (Soliciter One) - Suzanne is delighted to make her Colonial Players debut in A Christmas Carol. After a 12-year hiatus from acting, she is thrilled to be “back in the saddle” again! She began performing at a young age, growing up in Los Angeles, mostly in theater, but sprinkled with print, film, and television for good measure. Some favorite shows include Fools, Sing On, Move Over Mrs. Markham, and A Christmas Carol. While musicals and comedies were her favorites, her greatest joy came from performing with her three children. She would like to thank Sarah for the opportunity to join this talented cast and crew. “Love and gratitude to my favorite husband, Greg, and my wonderful kiddos for encouraging me!”

Paul Banville (Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come/Bump Man) - Paul returns for his second show at The Colonial Players after portraying Chandler Harris in the 2017 production of The City of Conversation. At that time, he had recently relocated from New England when David Carter suggested he audition for director Reuben Vellecoop. He appreciated the welcoming community spirit he found at CP and is happy to be back on stage here. Paul has been sighted singing (unpaid!) at Middletown’s piano bar crooning, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Barbara Bartos (Laundress) - Barbara last appeared in the 2016 production of A Christmas Carol as The Laundress. Prior to that she played Lady Bracknell in CP’s production of Ernest in Love, for which she received a Washington Area Theatre Community Honors nomination for best featured actress in a musical. Barbara’s past theatrical experience includes performing as a featured singer with the British Embassy Gilbert & Sullivan Society in Washington and in a number of off-off Broadway showcases in roles including Toby in The Gingerbread Lady and The Dancer in Feiffer’s People. Her past regional theater roles include Aldonza in Man of La Mancha. Barbara is a member of the Naval Academy Chapel Chorale and is president of Speakers.com, a celebrity speakers bureau which she co-founded with her husband and partner, Glenn. She is delighted to be back on stage playing with Sarah Wade and this fantastic cast of A Christmas Carol. “Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!!!”

Kaelynn Bedsworth (Mrs. Cratchit) - Kaelynn is delighted to be back on stage in Mrs. Cratchit's mob-cap. You may have seen her as Mrs. Cratchit in the 2014 production of A Christmas Carol, or as Belle/Fred's wife in 2012. A few of her other on-stage credits at CP include The Secret Garden (Alice), Annie (Grace Farrell), 1776 (Martha Jefferson), and Moonlight and Magnolias (Miss Poppenghul). Behind the scenes, she has produced, costume designed, sound designed, scene painted, and seam sewed for many a show over the last eight years. Kaelynn currently serves as treasurer on The Colonial Players Board of Directors. She sends love to her husband, family, and all of you out there who are keeping Christmas every day!

Danny Brooks (Ebenezer Scrooge) - Danny is reprising the role he played at The Colonial Players in 2008. Of his 23 previous appearances on our stage, his favorite roles include Scrooge (naturally), John Hancock (1776), Martin (Incorruptible), Niels Bohr (Copenhagen), and Chater (Arcadia). Thanks to Sarah for giving him the chance to enjoy playing this wonderful character once again. Additional thanks to Mary Ann for recruiting him to his very first production in 1978. ("There's a role we still haven't cast; it's a pompous French banker, and everyone thinks you'd be great.").

Carol Cohen (Laundress) - Carol is not a newcomer to CP or to A Christmas Carol. She had the honor to be in the 1983 production and several since. Recent CP productions: The Cripple of Inishmaan; Morning’s at Seven; Bell, Book and Candle; and Queen of the Northern Monkeys. Some favorite roles at other theaters include Ruth (Collected Stories), Golda (Fiddler on the Roof), Betty (The Foreigner), and Kate (Broadway Bound). She has performed in musicals and plays at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, Dignity Players, Standing O Productions, Theatre 11, Chesapeake Music Hall, Axis Theatre, Vagabond Theatre, Spotlighters, and Church Hill Summer Stock on the Eastern Shore. Carol is delighted to be in the cast of A Christmas Carol.

Mackenzie Currie (Belinda Cratchit/Fanny) - Mackenzie is thrilled to be performing in this show again at The Colonial Players! Mackenzie is an 8th grader at Severn River Middle School, and she is proudly a member of her school dance team and the National Junior Honor Society. She most recently performed in Beauty and the Beast and Madagascar -- A Musical Adventure JR. with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis. She is most fond of playing Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol at The Colonial Players and Marta in the Broadway National Tour of Sound of Music. In addition to acting and singing, Mackenzie trains in dance and acoustic guitar. She would like to thank Sarah Wade, all of the cast, and the creative team for this memorable experience, and she is very grateful for her coaches and teachers. Love to Mom, Dad, and Tyler.

Doug Dillner (Undertaker’s Man, Party Guest) - This performance will be Dr. D’s 11th participation in The Colonial Players’ A Christmas Carol. Over the years he has played many of the roles (Scrooge, Marley, Fezzywig, Undertaker’s Man, and various smaller parts) and, who knows, may be cast as Tiny Tim next time (feasible goal?). Tonight, he will be reprising his role as Marley’s Ghost. Dr. D. thanks God for the gifts He has given him to be able to bring acting for your enjoyment. Also, but not at all least, thanks to his wife, Deb, for her support in this venture. Without it, he would be unable to be here with you. As you are leaving, please let him know what you thought of his delineation of the character of Marley. “Enjoy your time with us. Peace, and God bless you.”

Walker Dixon (Peter Cratchit) - Walker is excited to be in his second production with The Colonial Players after appearing as Peter Cratchit in the production of A Christmas Carol two years ago. He is a junior at Annapolis High School and is involved with the Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Program and the Drama Company there. Recent productions include portraying Steve and being a student director in Almost, Maine (Annapolis High School), Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes, (Annapolis High School), Prentiss in Peter and The Starcatcher (PVA Magnet Program), Durdles/Nick Cricker in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (The Talent Machine), Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family (Anne Arundel Community College), Glad Hand in West Side Story (Annapolis High School), as well as numerous productions in the Charlotte, NC area. Walker would like to thank Sarah, Tom, Lindsay, and the rest of the production team for giving him the opportunity be a part of this local tradition again. Happy Holidays everyone!

Dean Fisher (Bob Cratchit) - This is Dean’s second stage role ever. His first was as Bob Cratchit in the 2014 version of A Christmas Carol. Dean’s annual reading of A Christmas Carol to his three children has been the highlight of his holiday seasons these past 20 years or so. Dean is honored to once again have been selected for the role of Bob Cratchit and raises his cup to all who have supported, indulged, and enabled his desire to be in this play. “Bless us all!”

Ethan Goldberg (Undertaker's Man) - Ethan is extremely proud to be returning to The Colonial Players after a three-year hiatus from the stage! He has been seen in many roles all across Maryland such as Lt. Branigan in AACC’s production of Guys and Dolls, Captain James Wilcox in 2nd Star’s production of A Soldier’s Play, Paul Mann in the Laurel Mills Playhouse rendition of Rent, and Durdles in ASGT’s production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Ethan’s CP roles include Jan Warrick in The Unexpected Guest, Philliste in The Liar, and Corporal Howard in A Few Good Men. Ethan loves this theater and couldn't be happier being back doing what he loves. He gives a special shout out to the company Rams Head for allowing him time off to participate in this show! He dedicates this show to the number one lady in his life, his Mom. “Love you, Mom. Thank you for all that you do.” Lastly, Ethan wishes everyone a special Merry Christmas, but most importantly, a Happy Chanukah!

Trevor Greenfield (Nephew Fred/Young Scrooge) - Trevor is excited to return to The Colonial Players this Christmas season! A local performer and music director since 2015, Trevor's recent credits include David Shayne in Bullets Over Broadway at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and serving as music director for Children’s Theatre of Annapolis and Theatre in the Park. Trevor teaches K-5 general music for Anne Arundel County schools as well as private lessons at Music & Arts. He would like to thank his friends, family, and Lauren for their support and the entire CP team for their talent, dedication, and hard work. “Merry Christmas to all!”

Duncan Hood (Mr. Fezziwig/Party Guest) - Duncan is so glad to be performing in A Christmas Carol back at his home theater, Colonial Players. Duncan was last seen here as Carl in Morning’s at Seven. Over the past 20 years, his roles include: Dr. Chausible in Ernest in Love; Clown 1 in 39 Steps; George in Moon over Buffalo; Scrooge in A Christmas Carol; Emcee in Cabaret; Flint in Something’s Afoot; The Man in 52 Pickup; The Playwright in Enter the Guardsman; van Sweiten in Amadeus; Jethro Crouch in Sly Fox; Michael in Dancing at Lughnasa; The Narrator in Blood Brothers; Inspector Rough in Angel Street; Hysterium twice and Pseudolus once in three productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Major General in two productions of Pirates of Penzance; Pap in Big River; Porter and Ross in Macbeth; and Dr. Kalmar in Studio Theater’s production of A New Brain. Duncan also has numerous credits in voiceovers, films, and video games. He has been an international sailing instructor trainer for the American Sailing Association for 28 years and holds a 100 ton USCG Master’s License.

Eric Hufford (Ghost of Christmas Present) - Eric is happy to be back for his third performance of A Christmas Carol. His most recent theater credit is as director of CP's spring musical, Lucky Stiff. You may have also seen him as Jerry Lukowski in The Full Monty at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre. Favorite roles at The Colonial Players include Jack Worthing in Ernest in Love, Leslie Bainbridge in Taking Steps, and Thomas Jefferson in 1776. He has also played Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at AACC. “I'd like to thank Sarah for her wonderful patience and love.”

Anna Grace Keller (Belinda Cratchit) - Anna Grace is ecstatic to return to the CP stage for her second appearance in A Christmas Carol. She feels honored to be a part of one of Annapolis’ favorite traditions. Anna Grace is an 11th grade student at Severna Park High School and has been involved with various productions there, including the annual Rock ‘n Roll Revival. Outside of theater, she is a varsity player on her school’s field hockey team, a ski racer, an honors student, and a volunteer in the Shock Trauma Department at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Anna Grace would like to thank her parents Lyn and Paul, and her sisters Maddy-Kate and Cabrey for being her number one supporters and best friends.

Emma Miller (Ghost of Christmas Past) - This is Emma's first time on stage, and she is thrilled to be playing the same role that her sister Holly played in the 2012 production. She is also excited to be able to share the stage with her mom, Lesley Miller (Party Guest). In her spare time, Emma enjoys playing her violin, singing, gymnastics, and doing fun things with her Girl Scout troop.

Erica Miller (Belle/Fred’s Wife) - Erica feels so blessed to be a part of this Annapolis tradition. This is her first time back on stage after starting the role of a lifetime - Motherhood. Erica is a Theatre Arts graduate of Point Park University, a teaching artist, and the creator of Drama-Pop LLC. Erica moved to Annapolis in 2014 from Lancaster, PA. She appeared as Gwendolen in The Colonial Players’ production of Ernest In Love and is happy to be performing again with some of the cast members and artistic team from that show. Erica's most recent credits are Claudia in Nine at CP, Ensemble in South Pacific with the Annapolis Opera, Ulla in The Producers at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls with 2nd Star Productions. Erica would like to thank her family for their constant support and encouragement, especially throughout the past year.

Holly Miller (Turkey Boy) - This is Holly’s second appearance in the show (she played Fanny in 2012), and she is thrilled to be back! She is an 8th grader at Severn River Middle School, and in her spare time she enjoys playing violin and piano, composing her own music, writing stories, dancing, and performing with the SRMS Drama Club. Her performance this year is dedicated to Mr. Ed Wintermute, the original Ghost of Christmas Present – “This Cornucopia is yours, and it’s free!”

Lesley Miller (Mrs. Fezziwig/Party Guest) - Lesley is so happy to be a part of this wonderful tradition again, particularly as she gets to share the stage with her two daughters this year - Holly as the Turkey Boy and Emma as the Ghost of Christmas Past! She would like to dedicate her performance to the memory of her dear friend Edwin Wintermute, “Ed - although it’s not the same doing this show without you, I like to think that you are in the wings with us and singing along, and that your voice is even more heavenly than it was when you were here. Miss you!”

Andrew Priddy (Peter Cratchit) - Andrew is making his theater debut as Peter in The Colonial Players rendition of A Christmas Carol. He is very excited to begin his theater career with this wonderful show and hopes to do many more shows in the future. When he is not acting he can be seen teaching drums, spending time with his friends and family, and playing in eight bands at the Priddy Music Academy. Catch him at one of his upcoming gigs! Andrew would like to thank Sarah Wade and the rest of the incredible people who made this show happen. He would also like to give a huge shout out to his parents, who took time out of their very busy schedules to take him to rehearsals and support him every step of the way. Andrew had so much fun being a part of this and hopes you enjoy the show!

Malachi Sillaman (Tim Cratchit/Scrooge as a Boy) - Malachi is excited to be making his Colonial Players debut. He was previously seen as Young Don Lockwood in 2nd Star Productions’ Singin' in the Rain. Malachi is ready to take off his dancing shoes and pick up a crutch for this production and wants to thank Miss Sarah and Miss Emma for this opportunity. Malachi also thanks God and his parents for loving him and allowing him to be in this play. “God bless us, every one!”

The Production Staff

Atticus Cooper Boidy (Set Designer) Atticus is thrilled to be back at The Colonial Players for his second show in the 70th season. He directed and set designed the season opener, Rumors. Atticus was so honored when Sarah asked him to work on this beautiful production with such an amazing team. Additional directing credits include Annie Get Your Gun with 2nd Star Productions, Madagascar -- A Musical Adventure Jr. with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis, Honk Jr. and Mulan Jr. with Indian Creek Upper School’s Summer Program, and Once Upon A Mattress, Beauty and the Beast Jr., Fame Jr., and The Little Mermaid Jr. with Severna Park Middle School. He is currently working on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with Artistic Synergy of Baltimore, The Producers with Thirdwall Productions, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr. with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis.

Alex Brady (Lighting Designer) Alex has been designing lighting in Annapolis and Baltimore since 2002. He has been nominated for the WATCH Award for Outstanding Lighting Design multiple times, most recently for 33 Variations and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Colonial Players. His most recent projects include Casa Valentina at CP and The Duchess of Malfi and The Changeling in repertoire with Brave Spirits Theater. Alex serves as the resident lighting designer for the AACC Dance Company and works with various local theaters and high schools. He is an alumnus of the Graduate Institute at St. John's College and also teaches for the Arts Departments at Anne Arundel Community College.

Tim Brown (Co-Producer) Having been stage manager for A Christmas Carol two years ago, Tim now is co-producing this year’s production with Tom Stuckey. Tim has produced Lucky Stiff; It's a Wonderful Life; and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at The Colonial Players and was assistant producer for Boeing, Boeing. Other roles have included lighting assistant and programmer for Nine and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll. He sends thanks to all the wonderful people at this, his favorite theater, who are so welcoming and fun to work with.

Ernie Morton (Stage Manager) Ernie has served as stage manager at CP for ten main stage productions, but this is his first musical AND first time with A Christmas Carol. He wants to thank Sarah, Lindsay, and Emma for being gentle with him. When Ernie is not running around backstage at CP, he works as an analyst for the Coast Guard. There he also plays saxophone with the Coast Guard Headquarters Big Band, The Cutters. In his infinitesimal spare time, he looks for golf balls, usually finding the ones other people have lost, not the one he played last.

Charlotte Robinson (Co-Properties Designer) Charlotte is really pleased to be part of this very special A Christmas Carol (ACC). She has worked backstage with Sarah from Sarah’s first ACC performance as Turkey Boy through her years as a variety of ACC characters, and now as director. Charlotte joined CP in 1984 and was invited to work backstage in 1988 as stage crew on Dial M For Murder. Since then she has worked on over 50 shows, several committees, and the Board of Directors. In recent years she has moved from tech, crew, and stage manager to props responsibilities. Her most recent shows were The Secret Garden, Trying, Side Man, and Lucky Stiff. And now A Christmas Carol, which has a special place in her heart because of the special A Christmas Carol family history.

Tom Stuckey (Co-Producer) Tom stage managed A Christmas Carol four years ago and produced the show in 2016, working with director Rick Wade, who adapted the Charles Dickens Christmas classic along with composer Dick Gessner especially for The Colonial Players in 1981. It was a joy this year to work with the next generation as Sarah Wade assumed the role of director of her father’s play, bringing a new sense of excitement to CP’s ever-popular version of A Christmas Carol. Thanks to the cast and the creative staff, especially my co-producer Tim Brown, choreographer Lindsay Zetter, and music director Emma Godfrey.

Beth Terranova (Costume Designer) After designing the Christmas Past sequence for A Christmas Carol in 2016, this year Beth is having fun with the whole show – and a few new ideas (thank you, Sarah)! Beth’s previous costume designs were seen on the CP stage in Nine (WATCH nomination), A Few Good Men, These Shining Lives, Coyote on a Fence, Going to St. Ives (WATCH nomination), Cinderella Waltz (WATCH nomination), Lettice and Lovage, The Diviners, The Lion in Winter, The Philadelphia Story, Hauptmann, and Moon Over Buffalo. Prior to A Christmas Carol, Beth most recently stage managed Lucky Stiff and directed Shiloh Rules. Other work behind the scenes at CP includes set designer, play consultant, and tech crew. She is now happily retired, and these days you might catch Beth in colonial garb leading tours around Annapolis when she isn’t doing “things” for the theater, which currently include serving as Artistic Director, and as News and Cues editor.

Mary Beth Yablonski (Co-Properties Designer) Mary Beth has been active with The Colonial Players for 32 years. She served on the Board of Directors as treasurer and has been involved in many productions as stage manager, production manager, and collector of props. Mary Beth ushers and works annually on the CP subscription committee. She sings with the Annapolis Chorale, and recently retired from the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is a volunteer at Baltimore Washington Hospital.

Written by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Gwen Morton
Produced by Jennifer Cooper
Performance dates:
January 11 - February 2, 2019
Run time: 2h

When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth. A “Hidden Figures” for the 19th century.

To download the production postcard for Silent Sky to share with your friends, visit the Downloads page of our website and look under the Production Postcard heading.

About the Director

Gwen Morton grew up wanting to be Liza Minnelli. As she became older, she recognized many obstacles to this ambition. One, she grew up in a small town in Arkansas rather than New York. Two, she never took dance lessons. But when she went to college at Arkansas Tech University, she jumped into the voice and drama programs, finishing with a B.A. in Speech and Theater. She thought she was ready to fulfill her ambition at the University of Arkansas when she read a casting notice for Sally Bowles in Cabaret. Failing to get the part, she realized it was time for a new ambition. Gwen began directing while working on her M.A. in Drama at the U. of A. She has since alternated acting and directing, with an occasional credit as stage manager, five years as a board member of Juneau-Douglas Little Theater in Juneau, AK, and her recent going-on-five-year stint as assistant director for the Broadneck Dramatics Guild at Broadneck High School. (She would like to express special thanks to Kevin Whewell, head of the Dramatics Guild, for not only putting up with her but continuing to show her how much there is to learn about this theater stuff. Thanks for being an outstanding teacher to your students and to your assistant.) Her acting credits include Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady (at the advanced age of 24); four seasons at Perseverance Theater in Douglas, AK (including the world premiere production of King Island Christmas); and Mrs. Fezziwig in A Christmas Carol at The Colonial Players. There were also several appearances as an ensemble member and a few that actually weren’t in musicals. In 1999, she was named best director for Steel Magnolias, which was named best production at the Alaska Association of Community Theatre Festival. She made her Colonial Players directing debut in 2008 with The Curious Savage, followed in 2012 with Neil Simon’s Chapter Two. She is currently a substitute teacher for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. While Gwen wouldn’t trade her husband Ernie, daughter Lyann, son Sam, cat Jamie, or dog Malcolm (RIP Cadhla) for Liza’s Tonys, her Emmy, her Oscar, or any of her other awards, the next time she grows up she wants to be Carrie Mulligan.

About the Playwright

Lauren M. Gunderson is a playwright, screenwriter, and short story author from Atlanta, GA. She received her BA in English/ Creative Writing at Emory University, and her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch, where she was also a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She was named the most produced playwright in America by American Theatre Magazine in 2017, was awarded the 2016 Lanford Wilson Award from the Dramatist Guild, the 2016 Otis Gurnsey Award for Emerging Writer, and was awarded the prestigious 2014 Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for her play, I and You. She co-authored the play Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley with Margot Melcon, which is also one of the most produced plays in America for 2017-18. Ms.Gunderson is the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award, the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award. She is also a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s 3-Year Residency with Marin Theatre Company.

Director's Notes

During this production of Silent Sky,you will hear references to the Draper Catalogue of Stellar Spectra, the Harvard Spectral Classification System, and the Hubbell Space Telescope. What you won’t hear about are the Fleming Catalog, the Cannon Classification System of Stars, and the Leavitt telescope, even though the work of Williamina Paton Stevens Fleming, Annie Jump Cannon, and Henrietta Swan Leavitt made each of these remarkable achievements possible. Thanks to playwright Lauren Gunderson, you and audiences like you around the country are learning about the work of these remarkable women. If you would like to learn more, I highly recommend the book The Glass Universe by Dava Sobel, which tells the story of these and other dedicated astronomers of the Harvard Observatory. The actors and I would not have been able to tell this story so entertainingly or effectively without the work of a stellar (pun intended) staff and crew. I attempted to give special recognition to each of them and found I had exceeded my 600 word limit by about 150 words. Please look at all of the names listed under Production Staff and know they all have my undying gratitude. And in the words of the late Casey Kasem, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”

– GWEN MORTON

The Cast

Shannon Benil (Annie Cannon) - Shannon is proud to be portraying this actual woman from history who was instrumental in stellar classification and the suffragist movement. Shannon has performed regularly at The Colonial Players over the past 25 years, beginning at age 16 as a cast member in A Christmas Carol. Since then some of her favorite shows include Calendar Girls, Rumors, Clue: The Musical, and Bat Boy. By day, she is the Director of Accounting at an Annapolis advertising agency and by night she is Mama to an amazing 6-yearold boy. Many thanks to her wife, Marcy, for single-parenting so often during rehearsals and shows. And, as always, thanks to the folks at The Colonial Players for allowing her to satisfy her theater craving and letting her do it for the love of it!

Tyler Heroux (Peter Shaw) - Tyler has been acting in theater since his sophomore year in high school. His shows include Almost, Maine (Steve); Clue (Mr. Green); Rumors (Ernie); Shipwrecked!: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (Bruno/ Louis); and Much Ado About Nothing (Claudio). He also won the Baltimore Cappie Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Play in 2017. This is his first show outside of school, and he is thrilled to be a part of such an important and beautifully written show! He is also very thankful to his family and friends who support him on his journey and hopes to continue working with The Colonial Players in the future. 

Emilie Zelle Holmstock (Henrietta Leavitt) - Emilie is incredibly excited about the opportunity to take part in her first show on The Colonial Players stage. A graduate of Mary Baldwin College with a bachelor’s degree in theater, she took a short break from acting to pursue an alternate career path before inevitably being pulled back by the lure of the stage. Her past performing credits include Rosalie in The Children’s Hour, Cecelia in Shiloh Rules, and Thea in Hedda Gabler. She would like to thank Gwen for this opportunity, the cast and crew of Silent Sky for their tireless work and dedication, The Colonial Players and their amazing audience for an unyielding support of live theater. She sends love to all her friends and family.

Robin Schwartz (Margaret Leavitt) - Robin is thrilled to return to The Colonial Players stage, where she was last seen as Joan Dellamond in The Babylon Line. Other favorite credits include Dawn in The Universal Language (Outstanding Performance from the MD Community Theatre Festival), Thea Elvsted in Hedda Gabler, and Philinte in The Misanthrope. Robin has a degree in Theatre and Communications from Goucher College. Special thanks to Daniel for supporting me tirelessly and unconditionally, to my sons Jacob and Henry for being Mommy's cheerleaders, and to family and friends for their loving encouragement. So much gratitude to the whole CP team for the opportunity to create theater with some truly amazing people.

Beth Terranova (Williamina Fleming) - Beth is ecstatic to make her return to The Colonial Players stage after over a 7-year absence! She was last seen on stage at CP in 2011 when she played Aunt March in the musical Little Women. More recently, she was on stage last year as Helsa Wenzel in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 with 2nd Star Productions. Other favorite roles include her WATCH-nominated portrayal of Ellen van Oss (Two Rooms) and Costanza (Enchanted April) at CP; Trania (The Taming of the Shrew) at ASGT; and, in Florida theaters, Casey (Anton in Show Business), Maureen (The Beauty Queen of Leenan), Amy (Company), Linus (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown), and Anybodys (West Side Story). Beth also has numerous backstage credits as a director (WATCH Award for Hauptmann), producer (WATCH Award for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), costume designer (three WATCH nominations), stage manager, and set designer. She is currently the artistic director and News and Cues editor for The Colonial Players. Now a happy federal government retiree, these days you might just also catch Beth as a Colonial Annapolitan leading tours of the town. 

The Production Staff

Richard Atha-Nicholls (Sound Designer) Richard is happy to be back at The Colonial Players designing sound for Silent Sky. He has previously engineered or designed sound for numerous productions, primarily at CP and Laurel Mill Playhouse. His sound design has garnered two WATCH nominations. As well as designing sound, Richard has appeared on area stages, and in his spare time he helps run Discworld conventions. Occasionally he has been known to direct. Love to C, A & P. Always in my heart, O.

Carrie Brady (Costume Designer) Carrie is happy to be costuming for The Colonial Players again after costuming Sherlock's Last Case (WATCH Award nominated), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, City of Conversation, and 33 Variations ( WATCH Award nominated). Previously, she costumed for Spirited Productions, the Moonlight Troupers/The Theatre at AACC, and Bay Theatre Company. Outside the wardrobe area, Carrie appeared on stage in Shiloh Rules at CP, and she enjoys helping out at her alma mater, St. Mary's High School Theater, as their new set designer and decorator. All this theater fun gives Carrie something to do when she's not working at the Library of the Department of Legislative Services or diving headfirst into another new geeky fandom. Many thanks to her family, especially to her husband and dog for putting up with all the time she's not at home while costuming!

Peter Branscombe (Properties Designer) This is Peter’s fourth production with The Colonial Players. Previously, he worked on the productions of Chapter Two, Inventing van Gogh, and Private Lives.

Jennifer Cooper (Producer) Jennifer recently made her Colonial Players mainstage directorial debut with The Babylon Line after directing David Ives’ The Universal Language in The Colonial Players 2017 One Act Festival. That production represented CP in the 2018 Maryland Community Theater Festival and won awards for Excellence in Directing, Outstanding Production, and Technical Excellence. This is Jennifer’s inaugural role as producer.

Karen Elliott (Assistant Properties Designer) Karen joins us as a first-time assistant properties designer for Silent Sky. Previously, she assisted properties designer Constance Robinson by researching and donating vintage 1960s makeup and cosmetic cases for CP's Casa Valentina. Karen is a former Virginia public school physics, space, and earth science teacher and was also a docent and aerospace/ aviation lab teacher at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. Her astronomy and aviation experience has made Karen a valuable consultant during the production process of Silent Sky.

Eric Hufford (Projections) Eric is happy to be back doing fun techie things for Silent Sky. His most recent theater credits at The Colonial Players include Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol and director of CP's Spring Musical, Lucky Stiff. You may have also seen him as Jerry Lukowski in The Full Monty at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre. Other favorite roles at CP include Jack Worthing in Ernest in Love, Leslie Bainbridge in Taking Steps, and Thomas Jefferson in 1776. He has also played Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at AACC. From a special effects standpoint, Eric also did the effects for CP's Sherlock's Last Case and designed projections for CP's 33 Variations.

Mariana Mahoney (Assistant Director/Stage Manager) Mariana is thrilled to be joining The Colonial Players for the first time, especially as an Annapolis native. After graduating from the New York Film Academy with a BFA in Acting for Film, she decided to return to her roots and participate in the local theater scene, bringing her to Silent Sky. She is incredibly grateful for the graciousness and warm welcome she has received from everyone and looks forward to being a part of CP productions to come!

Ernie Morton (Lighting Designer) Ernie is usually found lurking in the shadows waiting for the next scene change as a stage manager for a dozen shows, most recently with A Christmas Carol and next month on to The Merry Wives of Windsor. Now he is bringing the light. Ernie wants to thank Gwen for trusting him with making her vision real. He also wants to thank Richard and Eric for being such great partners in making the technical element of this show spectacular.

Laurie Nolan (Set Decoration) Laurie is very pleased to have assisted Heather in her cosmic vision of the set and stage floor for Silent Sky. We always swear we are not going to do "wood graining" AGAIN, and then here we are! Wood is all around us, and we laugh at how many times we cover the same wood furniture with a different layer of “faux bois”! Who knows how many layers are on the floor?

Heather Quinn (Set Designer/Set and Floor Painter) Heather has appeared on stage and behind the scenes in many CP productions, but few have drawn upon both her degrees in geology and fine arts like this one.“Thanks to Gwen for the opportunity to design and the forbearance of the actors who, in rehearsals at the annex, had to imagine a lot of what was to come. My gratitude goes to the many people who helped bring the design to reality, but most of all to Laurie Nolan, whose artistic talents and creativity served as the brightest of stars in bringing the many facets of Henrietta Leavitt’s universe to the stage at CP. Special thanks and appreciation go to my former classmate Dr. Ellen Stofan, now director of the National Air and Space Museum(!), who recommended Dr. David DeVorkin, an expert and author on space science history, as a potential speaker for our theater forum.”

Beth Starnes (Hair and Makeup Designer) Beth has assisted in countless theater productions and enjoys working behind the scenes. Her most recent CP credits include costumes for The Babylon Line and co-hair/makeup designer for Nine (WATCH nominated). One of her favorite credits is animal costume designer for 2nd Star’s Children of Eden, which won the 2014 WATCH Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical. In real life, Beth is the librarian for Southern High School, where she is passionate about digital citizenship and teen literacy. Most importantly, she is mother to three wonderful young adults: Stephanie, Austin, and Daniel (her singer/actor who started all this). Beth would like to thank Gwen for inviting her to this special production, and as always, her husband, Jeff, for his unwavering support of her theater endeavors.

Written by Neil Simon
Directed by Atticus Cooper Boidy
Produced by Judi Wobensmith
Performance dates:
September 7 - 29, 2018
Run time: 2h
(including intermission)

At a large, tastefully-appointed townhouse, the Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself. Though only a flesh wound, four couples are about to experience a severe attack of farce. Gathering for their 10th wedding anniversary, the host lies bleeding in the other room, and his wife is nowhere in sight. His lawyer, Ken, and wife, Chris, must get the story straight before the other guests arrive. As the confusions and miscommunications mount, the evening spins off into hilarity. 

To download the production postcard for Rumors to share with your friends, visit the Downloads page of our website and look under the Production Postcard heading. 

About the Playwright

In 1975, The American Theatre Wing presented NEIL SIMON with a special Tony Award for his contributions to the world of theater. It was a testament from his peers to the exalted status he held in the theater world. For two decades, beginning in the 1960s, Simon was the undisputed king of Broadway comedy, with four of his plays running simultaneously during the 1966-67 season. In 1983, he became the first living person to have a Broadway theater named after him when the Schubert Organization changed the name of the 1920s-era Alvin Theatre to the Neil Simon Theatre. He has had a long and successful career as a writer of comedy sketches for television, a Tony Awardwinning playwright, and an Academy Awardwinning screenwriter. Simon’s childhood was not a happy one. Financial hardships stemming from the Great Depression resulted in a tempestuous marriage for his parents and an unstable household. He took refuge at the movies, where he especially enjoyed silent stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Laurel and Hardy. “I was constantly being dragged out of movies for laughing too loud,” he later recalled. After his military service, Simon and his brother, Danny, who was 10 years older, teamed up as comedy writers for radio shows and some very early television comedy series. The younger Simon’s big break came when he landed a writing job for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, where he worked with some of biggest names in comedy, including Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. Simon’s first two Broadway plays, Come Blow Your Horn and Barefoot in the Park, ran for a combined 2,197 performances. They were followed by The Odd Couple, which was a hit play, a hit movie, and a hit television series, cementing his reputation in the mid-1960s as a master of comedy. The plays and the hits kept coming. During the 30 years beginning with the 1961 premiere of Come Blow Your Horn, 25 of his plays and musicals were produced on Broadway. Simon won the Tony Award for best play for The Odd Couple, Lost in Yonkers, and Biloxi Blues, and received 14 other nominations for Tonys. He was also nominated for four Academy Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. Many of Simon’s plays arose from life experiences. The three plays in The Eugene Trilogy — Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and Broadway Bound —-- drew from his experiences in the military and his teaming with his brother to write comedy when he returned to New York. Chapter Two, about a widowed writer embarking on a new relationship, was written after the death of his first wife. Rumors, his first farce as a playwright, opened on Broadway Nov.17, 1988. He said in one interview that he was going through difficult times and thought writing a farcical comedy would be a cathartic process that would help him get to a better place in his life. Without doubt, Rumors and two dozen other Simon plays and musicals have helped multitudes of theater fans laugh their way to a better place in their lives during delightful hours spent sitting in darkened theaters from Broadway to community playhouses, enjoying the work of a comic genius.

About the Director

Atticus Cooper Boidy is ecstatic to be directing with The Colonial Players for the first time! He is the resident artistic and technical director at Severna Park Middle School, and his past credits with the school include Once Upon A Mattress, Beauty and the Beast Jr., Fame Jr., and The Little Mermaid Jr. Additionally, he has been teaching the acting portion of SPMS Drama Camp for the past four years and directing the annual musical revue. Additional directing credits include Annie Get Your Gun with 2nd Star Productions, Madagascar -- A Musical Adventure Jr. with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis, and Honk Jr. and Mulan Jr. with Indian Creek Upper School’s Summer Program. He is currently working on The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with Artistic Synergy of Baltimore and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr. with Children’s Theatre of Annapolis. Atticus' recent stage management credits include Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre's 9 to 5 The Musical, The Full Monty, and The Wedding Singer; Colonial Players' The City of Conversation; and The Theatre at AACC's In Love and Warcraft. In addition to directing and stage management, Atticus appeared as Jack in Into the Woods and Ensemble in James and the Giant Peach at Heritage Players. He is thrilled to be appearing in the Ancestor Ensemble in The Addams Family Musical at Silhouette Stages opening in October. Thank you all for your continued support of the arts. Enjoy the show!!”

Director's Notes

As the director of this production, I formally invite you to join us as we celebrate the 10th Wedding Anniversary of Charley and Myra Brock at their home at 1257 Peekskill Road, Sneden’s Landing, NY, hosted by The Colonial Players! Planning this party has taken a considerable amount of preparation as it is my first time directing in the round at CP, and we hope you are thoroughly entertained! The playwright, Neil Simon, invites an interesting cast of characters to this event, and it was important to me to have our cast be as honest in their portrayal of them as possible. As my first venture into directing farce, I have discovered that the true strength of this style of comedy is when the most over-the-top humorous situations are presented as a natural progression of successively more absurd events. To make these characters come alive, the actors and I have collaborated to find where we can fuse the actors’ personalities and characteristics with the choices their fictional counterparts make in the story. By bringing the setting to a more modern time period of the early 2000’s, I have applied this same theory of combining the givens of the play with the demands of a modern production to give the show a sense of familiarity while maintaining the integrity of the script. I have been so honored to work with such a skilled production team and cast on this show. My theory with directing is that there are a thousand ways to do anything in a show and that, as a team, we can find the most creative options and use the best one for our production. It is out of this collaboration that we are able to present this interpretation of the show, which would not have been possible without all the talented production team members, actors, crew members, and every one of our volunteers. 

– ATTICUS COOPER BOIDY

The Cast

Dann Alagna (Ken Gorman) - Originally from New York but raised in South Florida, Dann first found the stage at age 12-ish after his mother tried virtually everything else to get him to focus. Dann has performed in over 30 community theater productions and is thrilled to be back in the round at CP for the fifth time! Past CP credits include last season’s 33 Variations and It's a Wonderful Life in addition to Earth and Sky and his WATCH-nominated turn as Zed the Village Idiot in Cinderella Waltz. Dann is the director of Free Range Improv in Annapolis and is beyond proud of his troupe, winner of three consecutive Rammie Awards from Rams Head Onstage for best comedy show of the year. Dann is grateful to be included on stage with such an amazing ensemble cast and thanks Director Atticus Cooper Boidy for helping him realize his dream of reading Mr. Simon’s words... out loud! A special nod of gratitude to Producer Judi Wobensmith for constantly making him feel welcomed, inspired, and at home in the theater. Happy 70th, CP.

Brian Binney (Lenny Ganz) - Brian is thrilled to be making his “long form” Colonial debut with this wonderful cast and crew! He last appeared here in the 2017 One Act Festival (Zipless). He has also appeared locally in PGLT’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Lawrence Jameson), Lost in Yonkers (Uncle Louie), and Fox on the Fairway (Henry); in 2nd Star’s HMS Pinafore (Captain Corcoran), Kiss Me Kate (Fred Graham), and Peter and the Starcatcher (Chief Fighting Prawn); in GAC’s Pippin (Charlemagne), Frost Nixon (Bob Zelnick), Big River (Duke), and The Merchant of Venice (also Duke, a Rude Mechanical’s production); as Dave Moss in the Dead Cat’s Glengary Glen Ross at the Capitol Fringe Festival; and at LMP as Father in Ragtime and Father Jack in Dancing at Lughnasa, to name a few favorites. Love and thanks to Jeaneo, Chris, and Kat - and thanks, Colonial, for letting us play on your stage. Enjoy the show!!

Shannon Benil (Chris Gorman) - Shannon is very excited to be doing another Neil Simon play here after appearing in Jake's Women with a fabulous cast back in 2006. She has been performing at The Colonial Players since 1993, when at age 16 she did her first of five productions of A Christmas Carol. Other favorites include Calendar Girls; Bat Boy; and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. She sends much love to her parents and to her wife, Marcy, who spends many a night putting their son, Nilsson, to bed alone so she can continue her theater habit. For The Love Of It!

Stephanie Bernholz (Officer Pudney) - Stephanie was going to be reasonable and take a break at the beginning of a new school year at a new school, but who can resist Neil Simon? Stephanie is excited to be branching out both with her first play in years and to The Colonial Players! Most recently she performed with 2nd Star Productions in Ragtime (featuring a very comical fake pregnant belly). You may have also seen her making goofy faces on stage at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Nicole Cricker/ Deputy), The Producers (Shirley Markowitz), and Sister Act (Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours), among others. A million thanks to her parents and boyfriend for accepting her constant absences for rehearsals and shows!”

Rosalie Daelemans (Cassie Cooper) - Rosalie is delighted to be a part of this wonderful production with such a talented cast and crew. She has most recently performed at The Colonial Players in the One Act Festival and in Calendar Girls. Other favorite shows include: The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell), Noises Off (Vickie/Brooke), The Man Who Came to Dinner (Maggie Cutler), Bloody Murder (Jane), Fox on the Fairway (Pamela), On Golden Pond (Chelsea), Run for your Wife (Mary), Don’t Dress for Dinner (Suzette), Steel Magnolias (M’Lynn), City of Angels (Alaura), South Pacific (Nellie), Damn Yankees (Lola), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), My Fair Lady (Eliza), and Mame (Gooch). Offstage, Rosalie has helped in various capacities with stage managing, costumes, props, lighting, set dressing, and painting. Tremendous thanks to everyone for their support, creativity, hard work, and sense of humor!

Amy E. Haynes (Cookie Cusack) - Amy is beyond thrilled to make her debut with The Colonial Players! By day, Amy is a proud cat mom who is pursuing her master’s degree in speech and language pathology. Her favorite theatrical experiences include directing Seussical (Heritage Players) and portraying Aunt Sponge in James and the Giant Peach (Heritage Players), Kate McGowan in Titanic in Concert (Heritage Players), Pepper Walker in Crybaby the Musical (Silhouette Stages), Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act (Toby’s Dinner Theatre), Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (purple light theatre company), and Kate Monster in Avenue Q (Phoenix Festival Theatre). Amy would like to thank her incredible family and amazing friends for all of their love and support. Special thanks to her darling Casey for being her rock and for all he does to keep her smiling. A final heartfelt thank you to the wonderful production team and stunningly talented cast for keeping her laughing and always having her back! (Get it? Haha!) Enjoy the show!

Kevin McConnell (Glenn Cooper) - Kevin is returning to the stage after a 20-year hiatus. In 1998 he played Lenny in Rumors at The Colonial Players and Jack in Broadway Bound at the Vagabond Theater in Fells Point. Before coming to Annapolis, Kevin did standup comedy in New York City as well as a few minor roles in college. He considers his first true acting experience to be in A Nightingale Sang, where he performed with Ray Fulton, one of bravest men he ever met. "Ray was not only inspiring on the stage but also in our personal battles with cancer at Johns Hopkins.” When Kevin is not acting he is responsible for Machine Learning Market Development at SAP. You can also find him most Mondays at St. Vincent de Paul working to support people trying to improve their lives. Kevin would like to thank his children, Megan and Christopher, for giving him the time to play.

John Purnell (Officer Welch) - Rumors marks John’s regular season acting debut at The Colonial Players. He has performed here in two summer productions -- Clue: The Musical, 2016’s one-week musical, and If Men Played Cards as Women Do in the 2017 One Act Festival. John just played Warner Purcell in ASGT’s Bullets Over Broadway in May and June. In his designer capacity, John recently lit Colonial Players’ Quartet, first runner-up for best play in the Ruby Griffith Award competition, and ASGT’s Altar Boyz, Light Up the Stars, and 50th Anniversary Gala. He is the lighting designer for CP’s October/ November show, Babylon Line, and assisted with Calendar Girls. John’s association with CP began in season 42 (1991) as a lighting tech and designer, including award-winning designs for Driving Miss Daisy and The Road to Mecca. In the few hours left in his schedule, John runs an IT consulting firm in Annapolis. He is father of two grown daughters and a 15-year-old Welsh springer spaniel. His wife, Claire, is very considerate of his having so many oars in the water.

Mary C. Rogers (Claire Ganz) - Mary is thrilled to be back performing with The Colonial Players after last season's It's a Wonderful Life. She has worked onstage, backstage, and everywhere in between with a number of area community theaters, including Prince George's Little Theatre, Greenbelt Arts Center, and Dignity Players of Annapolis. Some of Mary's favorite roles include Maggie in Red Herring, Aunt Bella in Lost in Yonkers (WATCH nomination), and Billy Dawn in Born Yesterday. Mary would like to thank the director and entire production staff for their phenomenal work on this show! Thanks to her amazing and supportive partner, Abner, for being awesome in every way. “This performance is dedicated my mother, Maryann.”

Glenn Singer (Ernie Cusack) - Glenn recently returned to the Annapolis-area theater scene after an almost 10-year hiatus as Benny VanBuren in Damn Yankees. Prior to that, Glenn was most recently onstage in New York in a semi-equity production of the whodunit comedy It Could Be Any One of Us as Brinton Chalke. Glenn also graced the stage in Iowa in productions of The Foreigner as Owen Musser and Little Women as Mr. Lawrence. Favorite Annapolis roles include Fred Martin in The Battle of Shallowford, Ben Benjamin in God’s Favorite, Clement Musgrove in The Robber Bridegroom, Charlemagne in Pippin, Herbie in Gypsy, Pooch in Good News, and Mr. Fezziwig and Bob Cratchit (for six years!) in A Christmas Carol. Glenn is thrilled to be back on the CP stage again after being away for too many years! In “real life,” Glenn majored in psychology and worked in the mental healthcare field for about 10 years; he dedicates his performance to his late father, Roland, who was a psychologist.

The Production Staff

Kirsti Dixon (Costume Designer) Kirsti is excited about her first adventure as a costumer for CP. Usually she is on the other side as an actor, so she’s delighted to have this chance. She’s recently been seen at CP in Lucky Stiff (as a human roulette wheel) and Nine, as well as at ASGT in Bullets Over Broadway (Eden). The last thing she helped costume was The Full Monty at ASGT, so she is happy to be looking for complete coverage outfits this time. When not doing anything related to theater, she teaches pilates in Severna Park and Annapolis at Club Pilates. She sends much love and wishes for good luck to the fabulous cast!

Sarah Irving (Assistant Director) Sarah is a senior at St. John's College. This is her first production with The Colonial Players. She is president of the King William Players at SJC, and recent directing credits with them include Spring Awakening and As You Like It. You will find Sarah back at Colonial this winter assistant directing The Merry Wives of Windsor while writing her senior thesis on Shakespeare’s Scottish play. Many thanks to Atticus and Maggie for their hard work and new friendships. Play it with love!

Chol Kubit (Set Decoration Designer) Chol is excited to be working this show as set decorator. He hopes that he channeled his inner Bobby Berk adequately.

Shirley Panek (Lighting Designer) Shirley is proud to be a part of this fun show. Other lighting design credits at The Colonial Players include Calendar Girls, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Clue - The One Week Musical Project, A Few Good Men, Dead Man's Cell Phone, Trying, Moonlight and Magnolias, and Chapter Two (2012 WATCH nominee). She also designed lights for Art at Dignity Players. “Thanks to Atticus Boidy for his vision and this fun cast of women and men for their laughter and patience during tech week. Love to Alice, Emma, and Jeff -- the lights that shine in my life every day."

Bill Reinhardt (Sound Designer) Bill started in theatrical sound and lighting at community theaters in 1999 and owned and operated a sound and video company for ten years. Most recently, he was sound designer for Bullets Over Broadway at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre and assistant lighting designer for Quartet at The Colonial Players. He is thrilled to be collaborating on Rumors with such a talented team and looks forward to many more years working on theatrical sound and lighting.”

Constance Robinson (Properties Designer) Since 2003 Connie has volunteered as a public relations consultant, graphic designer, box office assistant, properties designer, and set decorator for The Colonial Players. She also is a member of the CP Marketing Committee. Connie has collected props for over 15 productions at CP, one for Dignity Players, and one for Severn School. She is proud to have received three WATCH nominations for properties designing. Connie enjoys her volunteer hours because of the terrific people she works with who also devote their time and talents to the theater. She thanks her husband, John, for his assistance, and also thanks her friends for loaning and donating props and for their enthusiastic support.

Magdalene Urban (Stage Manager) Magdalene is excited about her first production with The Colonial Players. She graduated from Anne Arundel Community College with Film and Theatre Associate of Arts degrees and is attending UMBC for her bachelor of arts in theater design and production. At AACC, Maggie stage managed multiple productions, including Tarzan and The Phantom of the Opera. She participated in a Disney College Program Internship in the Magic Kingdom costuming department. Her local credits include Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre’s The Producers, In the Heights, and 9 to 5; Compass Rose Theater’s Pygmalion; 2nd Star Productions’ Annie Get Your Gun; the Heritage Players’ Into The Woods; and Silhouette Stages’ Big Fish. She thanks Atticus, Sarah, the production team, and cast for the wonderful rehearsals and their dedication to this production. She would like to thank her family and theater family for keeping her fed, rested, and (relatively) sane.

Judi Wobensmith (Producer) Judi has been involved in many productions in the Annapolis/DC area since 1979 and has produced shows at The Colonial Players, Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre, Pasadena Theatre Company, and Petrucci’s to name a few. Previous directing credits include: The Music Man, Gigi, The King and I, Carnival, Marriages, Something’s Afoot, Mrs. California, The Sunshine Boys and A Christmas Carol. She has served three terms on the Board of Directors at CP, two terms as Production Director at ASGT, and on the the board of Children’s Theatre of Annapolis. She has appeared in various TV commercials and documentaries and spends her spare time at the House of Delegates. Judi wants to thank all the production staffs, past and present, for giving unstintingly to all of CP’s productions. But then, every volunteer at CP invests a lot in our productions. She would especially like to thank her husband, John, for supporting her for over 50 years in her theater forays.