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DANIEL
ALLAR
(Big Jule) is honored to return to Court Theatre where
he appeared in The Cherry Orchard and An Ideal Husband.
Other Chicago theatre credits include Fezziwig and Christmas Present
in A Christmas Carol (Goodman); Lennie in Of Mice and
Men (Organic); Owen Musser in The Foreigner (Drury
Lane Oakbrook); Timon of Athens and Troilus and Cressida
(Shakespeare Rep); Greater Tuna (MRT and Center Theatre);
and Assassins (Apple Tree). Dan has also worked at Candlelight,
Forum, Drury Lane Evergreen Park, First Folio Shakespeare Festival,
and Pheasant Run. His film and television credits include Rooter
in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Part 2, Mask
of Sanity, two episodes of Early Edition (CBS), and
one episode of What About Joan? (ABC) |
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LANCE
STUART BAKER (Harry the Horse) is appearing
in his seventh Court production, following Pericles,
Cymbeline, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Piano
and The Invention of Love. His eighth Court production
will be Cyrano in May. He was most recently seen in The
Santaland Diaries at the Chopin Theatre for Roadworks Productions.
Other shows include: the Midwest premiere of Lobby Hero,
directed by Robert Falls at the Goodman, for which he received
a Jeff nomination; No Place Like Home at Steppenwolf;
The Grey Zone at A Red Orchid; Indulgences in the
Louisville Harem for Rivendell; and Adam Rapp’s solo
monologue Nocturne for Naked Eye. |
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KELSEY
COLLINS
(Mimi, Agatha) has been entertaining audiences since she
was ten years old: from community theatre productions of Gypsy,
42nd Street, and Crazy for You to commercials
for 5th 3rd Bank and Famous Footwear. This is her first time performing
at Court Theatre and she is thrilled. She would like to thank her
parents, John, her friends, and of course Court Theatre for helping
her become a better entertainer and individual. |
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BEN
DICKE (Rusty Charlie) is elated to be making
his debut at Court Theatre. He is currently pursuing a Master of
Fine Arts in Acting at Roosevelt University where he has played
the roles of Antipholus of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors
and Mack the Knife in The Threepenny Opera. Other favorite
roles include Nathan Detroit and Benny Southstreet in Guys and
Dolls, Truffaldino in Servant of Two Masters, Groucho
Marx in Groucho: A Life in Revue, and Bobby Childs in Crazy
for You. |
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JEFF
DUMAS
(Nicely Nicely Johnson) makes his Court Theatre debut.
Recent credits include the world premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s
Bounce (Kennedy Center and Goodman); Sunday in the
Park with George, The Tempest, and Pacific Overtures
(Chicago Shakespeare); the workshop of Winesburg, Ohio
(Steppenwolf); Man of La Mancha (Light Opera Works); and
the world premiere of A Wit’s End (Florida Stage).
Other credits include The House of Martin Guerre and Light
Up the Sky (Goodman); Strike Up the Band, One
Touch of Venus, and Babes in Arms (Ovations! at the
Auditorium Theatre); Carousel and Grease (Drury
Lane Oakbrook); and Little Shop of Horrors (Madison Repertory
Theatre). |
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DON
FORSTON
(Arvide) is making his Court Theatre debut with Guys
and Dolls. He is a four time Jeff nominee and the proud recipient
of a 2002 After Dark Award for his portrayal of Alfie Doolittle
in Drury Lane Oakbrook’s production of My Fair Lady.
Don wishes to dedicate this performance to his sons, Daniel (Little
League All Star), Chris (Football Star), and Sean (Actor Extraordinaire),
and his wife and best friend, Mary Pat. |
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NEIL
FRIEDMAN
(Benny Southstreet) is happy to be back at Court Theatre
where he also appeared in “The Dead,” The Romance
Cycle and My Fair Lady. Other Chicago credits include
The Taming of the Shrew, Pacific Overtures, King
Lear, and over twenty other productions (Chicago Shakespeare
Theatre); Early and Often and Ghetto (Famous Door
Theatre); Zoot Suit and Wings (Goodman Theatre);
A Few Good Men (Theatre at the Center); 1776,
The King and I, Chess, Matador (Marriott
Theatre); My One and Only, The Hunchback of Notre Dame,
and Jesus Christ Superstar [Joseph Jefferson Award] (Drury
Lane Oakbrook); Woody Guthrie’s American Song (Northlight
Theatre). Regional credits include Capital Repertory Theatre, Albany,
New York; Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota; Coconut Grove Playhouse,
Miami; Pope Theatre, West Palm Beach; Children’s Theatre Company
of Minneapolis; and Austria’s Vienna English Theatre. |
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HEIDI
KETTENRING
(Miss Adelaide) spent the summer at Peninsula Players in
The Taffetas and in Bar Harbor, ME in I Do! I Do!
Other performances include the National tour of Disney’s Beauty
and the Beast (Belle cover); Funny Girl (Fanny Brice)
and Carousel (Carrie) at Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre;
Always…Patsy Cline (Patsy) and Little Shop of
Horrors (Audtrey) at Theatre at the Center; Joseph and
the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Narrator) and How to
Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Rosemary) at Drury
Lane Oakbrook Terrace; And the World Goes ‘Round
at Drury Lane Evergreen Park; Side Show at Northlight,
and the Berstein Celebration at Ravinia. Heidi is a proud graduate
of Northwestern University. |
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SUSAN
MONIZ (Sarah Brown) most recently performed
the roles of Julie in Show Boat, Yum Yum in Hot Mikado and Julie
Jordan in Carousel at Marriott Lincolnshire. Previously she performed
at Drury Lane Oakbrook as Eva in Evita and Susan Lawrence in big,
The Musical (Dark Night Award). On Broadway, Susan played Sandy
(opposite Jon Secada) as well as Rizzo in Grease! She played Josephine/Monica
in the Cherry County Playhouse production of Romance/Romance which
was taped and aired on A&E. Other regional credits include productions
of Woody Guthrie’s American Song at the Goodspeed Opera House,
Northlight Theatre and a national tour with Missouri Repertory Theatre.
Susan also appeared at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. in
Hot Mikado. Other favorites include Peggy Sue Got Married (world
premiere), West Side Story, The King and I and Kismet (Jeff Award).
At Apple Tree Theatre, she appeared in Anna Karenina, Romance/Romance,
and The Heiress. “I can do everything through Him who gives
me strength” Php. 4:13. |
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DAVID
NEW (Sky Masterson) previously appeared
at Court Theatre in Pygmalion, Macbeth, Candida, Fuente Ovejuna,
and Sleuth. He appeared on Broadway in Thou Shalt
Not. Recent Chicago credits include Affluenza! at
Victory Gardens, and The Royal Family at Steppenwolf.
He also appeared in Steppenwolf’s productions of Morningstar,
Valparaiso, The Ballad of Little Jo, The Glass Menagerie,
and Slaughterhouse Five. Chicago work also includes productions
with the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Writer’s
Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Apple Tree, Marriott’s Lincolnshire
Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Drury Lane Evergreen Park, Body
Politic, Wisdom Bridge, and the Itinerant Theatre Guild. Regional
work includes productions with the Ontario Stratford Festival,
New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, Madison Repertory, The Huntington
Theatre of Boston, The Attic Theatre of Detroit, Michigan Opera
Theatre, Peninsula Players, and The Actor’s Theatre of Louisville.
He is a Sarah Siddons Award recipient, and a Stratford Festival
Associate. |
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SCOTT
PARKINSON (Nathan
Detroit) returns to Court, where he appeared in Phèdre
and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His Chicago credits
include sixteen productions at Chicago Shakespeare, including
Queen Margaret in Edward Hall’s Rose Rage, the
title role in Richard II, Cassius in Julius Caesar,
the Fool in King Lear, and Speed in The Two Gentlemen
of Verona; the title roles in Hamlet and Richard
III, and Iago in Othello (Shakespeare on the Green);
Crime & Punishment, Booth, Candida, and The Glass
Menagerie (Writers’ Theatre); Among the Thugs (Goodman
Theatre); The Gamester (Northlight Theatre); Angels
in America (The Journeymen); and appearances with Roadworks,
Pegasus Players, ShawChicago, WBEZ’s “Stories on Stage,”
the Grant Park Music Festival, and the Art Institute’s “Voices”
series. Regional credits include Mercutio in Daniel Sullivan’s
production of Romeo & Juliet and Jack O’Brien’s
production of The Seagull (Old Globe). |
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DUANE
SHARP
(Lt. Brannigan) is pleased to return to Court, previously
appearing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Once
in A Lifetime. Most recently Duane played the Prime Minister
in On The Rocks with Shaw Chicago. Duane has also performed
with the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Apple Tree,
Roadworks, and many other area theatres. Screen credits include
Road to Perdition, Stir of Echoes and the recently
wrapped Godfather of Greenbay for film and Early
Edition and Kevin’s Room for TV. Duane is
active in Shidokan Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He thanks his
wife Debra for her love and support. |
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TINA
THUERWACHTER (General Cartwright) has performed
as “Sister” in Late Nite Catechism in Chicago
and on the National Tour for the past three years. She has previously
appeared at Court in The Beggar’s Opera, A Chorus of Disapproval
and The House of Blue Leaves. Other Chicago credits
include Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf Theatre Outreach Program,
Next Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, and City Lit, among other theaters.
She received a Jeff Citation for her portrayal of Napoleon in
Animal Farm. |
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STAGE
MANAGEMENT |
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LAXMI
KUMARAN (Production Stage Manager) has
worked as a stage manager in Chicago for the past seven years. A
selection of shows she has stage managed at Court Theatre include
James Joyce’s “The Dead,” The Sound of a Voice,
Phèdre, Life’s a Dream, Mary Stuart, Piano, The Little
Foxes, The Learned Ladies, The Invention of Love, and Gross
Indecency with such directors as JoAnne Akalaitis, Charles
Newell and Gary Griffin. She has also stage managed A Christmas
Carol, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and Galileo
Galilei at the Goodman Theatre working with Robert Falls and
Mary Zimmerman. Other theatres include the Royal George, Apple Tree
Theatre, First Folio Shakespeare Festival and Next Theatre. She
has taught stage management classes at Northern Illinois, DePaul,
and Northwestern Universities. |
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ELLEN
HAY
(Assistant Stage Manager) returns to Court Theatre where
she stage managed My Fair Lady, The Chairs, Mary Stuart
and The Invention of Love, and was floor manager for the
98-99 season. She is also a stage manager at The Goodman Theatre,
where her credits include the Edward Albee One-Act Festival,
The Play About the Baby, Seneca’s Trojan Women,
Lobby Hero, The Gift Horse, House and Garden, Millennium
Mambo and Mirror of the Invisible World. Ellen also
stage managed Bent with Gilead, Hamlet with Lookingglass
and Two Timing with Roadworks, and was the Road Manager
for the Nebraska Theatre Caravan’s East coast tour of A
Christmas Carol. |
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MUSICIANS |
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MIKE
COMBOPIANO
(Trumpet) became fascinated with the trumpet, not the piano
(although his name might suggest otherwise), when he was four years
old. Since that time, he has played in numerous operas and musicals,
starting with his parents’ opera company. Mike graduated from
Northwestern University in 1991 with a degree in trumpet performance,
and enjoys playing jazz, salsa and musical theater in the Chicago
area. |
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GEOFFREY
LOWE
(Upright Bass) spent his formative years in Colorado playing
violin, guitar, piano, and basses. A graduate of Colorado State
University, Geoffrey has performed at The Chicago Jazz Festival,
The North Sea Jazz Festival (The Hague, Holland), Monteaux Jazz
Festival (Monteaux, Switzerland), Park Tower Blues Festival (Tokyo,
Japan), and Spoletto Music Festival (Spoletto, Italy). In addition
he has played with Ben E. King, The Shirelles, The Platters, The
Coasters, Bob McGrath (Sesame Street), and Barrett Deems. Geoffrey
writes and plays Jazz, R&B, New Age, Blues, Brazilian, and Classical
music as his schedule allows. |
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ROBERT
REDDRICK
(Drums) began playing music at age 7, when he started taking
piano lessons. He later discovered an old snare drum, and while
keeping time with records, realized drumming was his true love.
A graduate of Columbia College, Robert has appeared at The Kennedy
Center, on NBC’s The Today Show, and performed for former
President George Bush. As the resident music teacher for Free Street
Theatre’s Literacy Through the Arts community outreach program,
he was included in a nationwide story on ABC’s World News
Tonight with Peter Jennings. In 1995 after a 5-month tour in the
Middle East, he formed his own band, Spectrum (now known as the
R2Project). While in Japan with the band, they were visited by many
world famous entertainers, one of which was the Platters. Shortly
after seeing their performance, Robert was hired by the Platters
and spent a few years touring with them. He is the assistant music
director for The Black Ensemble Theater, and recently had the pleasure
of performing with them at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem,
NY, and recording with Melba Moore. Currently Robert is preparing
to perform in support of “Ecstasy” and looking forward
to performing this new music on stage. |
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