BEHINDTHESCENES
JUSTINM.KISKA
BILLKISKA
In 1965 rural Minnesota, the ladies of the local Lutheran church fortify their flock with love, wisdom, and the food they prepare in the church’s basement kitchen. In Church Basement Ladies we meet the pastor, three cooks, and one daughter who run the kitchen and care for the congregation. This funny musical comedy sees the four women handle a Lutefisk Dinner, a funeral, an Easter Fundraiser, and, of course, a wedding
~ ACT I
~
TheTime:TheFifthCentury ThePlace:TheMagical,MysticalKingdomofKingArthur
Scene 1: A Glen Near the Castle of Camelot
“IWonderWhattheKingisDoingTonight”.....................................................................................Arthur “TheSimpleJoysofMaidenhood”.................................................................................................Guenevere “Camelot” Arthur “FollowMe”.......................................................................................................................................................Nimue Scene 2: The King’s Study - Early Evening, Eight Years Later Scene 3: A Hillside Outside of Camelot
“C’estMoi” Lancelot Scene 4: A Park Near the Castle
“TheLustyMonthofMay”†........................................................Guenevere,LadyAnne,andKnights “YouMayTakeMetotheFair”.............................................................................GuenevereandKnights Scene 5: The King’s Study “HowtoHandleaWoman”.......................................................................................................................Arthur Scene 6: The Jousting Fields
“TheJousts”..................................................................................................................................................FullCast Scene 7: The Terrace - Early evening, the Same Day “BeforeIGazeatYouAgain”............................................................................................................Guenevere
~
ACT II ~
Scene 1: The Main Terrace of the Caste - A Bright Spring Afternoon
“Madrigal”......................................................................................................................................................Lancelot “IfEverIWouldLeaveYou” Lancelot “TheSevenDeadlyVirtues” Mordred Scene 2: The King’s Study - Late Afternoon, a Month Later “WhatDotheSimpleFolkDo?”.............................................................................GuenevereandArthur Scene 3: A Forest on the Outskirts of Camelot Scene 4: The Queen’s Bedroom - Later that Night
“ILovedYouOnceinSilence”.............................................................................GuenevereandLancelot Scene 5: Around and About the Castle “Guenevere” LadyAnne,Pellinore,andKnights Scene 6: The Battlefield Outside Joyous Garde “Camelot-Reprise”..................................................................................................................ArthurandTom †- Choreographed by Mallory Rome
JUSTIN BARISH (Mordred, Dap): is excitedto be returningto WOBafterfirstappearing here as Ambrose in last spring’s Hello, Dolly! Throughout high school, he played many roles including Radamesin Aida andJack in Into the Woods, as well as the Courier in Landless Theatre’s annual production of 1776 at the WeinbergCenter.
TINA M. BRULEY (Nimue, Lady Catherine): is happy to return to the WOBstage afterhaving appeared last season as Judith in The Beverly Hillbillies and ReverendMother in MeshuggahNuns! Priortothat,sheplayedtheBirdLadyin 2020’s Mary Poppins. No stranger to WOB audiences, notable roles her at the theatre includeDominain A Funny Thing Forum,Miss Flannery in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Sister Robert Anne in Nunsense, and Sister Amnesia in Nunsense 2: The Second Coming. Many years ago– toomanytomention–sheplayedSandy in Grease in the very first production presented on this stage when the theatre first opened as Keynote Dinner Theatre. Tina retired in 2016 from FCPS after 32 years of teachingmiddleschoolMusicandTheatreArts andis currently living the life ofleisure as she plays piano, paints, crafts, plays with her two dogs, and watches and feeds the birds in her backyardsanctuary!
BEKAH BURGOON (Lady Anne): is happy to return to the WOB stage after first appearing in Annie asJulytheorphanin2018.Sincethen, shehasbeenapartofmanylocaltheatreshow, choruses, and family theatre productions. Favorite credits include The Child Stealer (Amy Carmichael), Jane the Nine Day Queen (Jane Grey),andmostrecently,Veronicain The Elves Who Saved Christmas at WOB. Thanks to her familyandfriendsforalltheirsupportandthe WOBfamilyforbeingsowelcoming.
STEVE BURGOON (Sir Dinadan): isexcitedto make his debut at WOB as Sir Dinadan. A relative newcomer to the theater scene, he played the part of a sailor in Main Street Theater’s production of South Pacific and Magaldy in Evita at the Other Voices Theater.Steveisalocalattorneyandisthrilled to share thestage with his daughter Bekahfor thefirsttime.
RORY DUNN (King Arthur): is regally thrilled to be back on stage at WOB in this year’s inaugural production. It’s good to be the king. You may remember Rory as Cornelius in Hello Dolly!, orhisself-describedfan favorite role as Jethro in The Beverly Hillbillies. He has been trodding the boards for most of his adult life fromcoasttocoast.Otherfavoriterolesinclude Adam Pontipee in Seven Brides…, the title role in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, and Sandy the dog in Annie when he was 6 years old. Rory looksforwardtotransportingeveryonehereto a kingdom filled with wonder, action, drama, andintrigue. DANA McNEMAR (Lady Catherine): ispleased to return to the WOB stage after making her WOB debut in Hello, Dolly! last spring. Dana was last seen fulfilling her lifelong dream of becoming a mermaid in Fredericktowne Player's The Little Mermaid (Andrina). She is thankful to her incredibly supportive husband and wonderful friends for their encouragement. Special thanks to her three biggest fans (and critics), her children. Congratulations to the talented cast and crew!Pleaseenjoytheshow!
PETE MEYERS (Sir Lionel): is thoroughly enjoying his sixth appearance on the WOB stage, where he previously appeared as Pres. Roosevelt (Annie), Erronius (Forum), Howard Cunningham (Happy Days), and Papa Bear
(Shrek). Other area performances: Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh-Christmas-Tail (OVT), Mr. Bumble in Oliver! (FtP). Music Director: Babes in Arms (FtP), Legally Blonde (OVT). Director: Nunsense (FtP). Awarded Best Musical Direction - Community Theatre by DC Metro Theater Arts for FtP’s BabesinArms. Favorite past roles: Billy (Carousel), El Gallo (The Fantasticks), Mr. Twimble (H2$), Rabbi (Fiddler). Thank you for supporting live theatre!
ZANE L. OBERHOLZER, JR. (Merlin, Pellinore/Music Director): has performed in, directed,and/ormusicdirectedmanylocaland regional productions, as well as several regional tours. At WOB, most recently, he music directed Hello,Dolly!, Meshuggah-Nuns!, and Disaster! and appeared as Hines in The Pajama Game. Other WOB credits include Mamma Mia! (Bill), Sunset Boulevard (Max), Legally Blonde (Callahan), Nunsense A-Men! (Reverend Mother), and TheProducers (Franz Liebkind).
ESTEFANY RIVERA (Lady Sybil): is excited to make her WOB debut. Camelot is her first Broadway-style production since her high school show Smile. She is very excited to be backonstage!
WIL SPAETH (Lancelot): is thrilled to be returningtotheWOBstageyetagain,thistime as the magnificent Sir Lancelot. He has previouslyappearedat WOBasJustin Addison in The Beverly Hillbillies and Hector MacQueen in Murder on the Orient Express and in numerous other productions back home in St. Louis, Missouri before the road of life brought him to Frederick. Some of these shows include Eurydice (Orpheus) The Visit (The Pastor),and The Wizard of Oz (CowardlyLion). Hegreatlylooksforwardtoperformingforyou today,andhopesyouenjoytheshow!
LAURA WALLING (Lady Elaine): waslastseen atWOBmakingaudienceslaughasSisterMary Downy in Disaster! Other WOB credits include Pinocchio in Shrek – The Musical, Pirates of Penzance, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. When not on the stage, she can be found playing string/electric bass under the stage as a pit musicianattheatresthroughoutthearea.
MEGAN ELIZABETH WEST (Guenevere): has workedatmanytheatersintheregionoverthe last several years, including the Old Opera House andThe Apollo Civic Theatre. Some of hercreditsincludeAgathaChristie’s Murder on the Orient Express (Countess Andrenyi), The Beverly Hillbillies (Tiffany), Hello,Dolly! (Irene), The Pajama Game (Babe), Disaster! (Marianne), Mary Poppins (WinnifredBanks), Little Women – The Broadway Musical (Jo March), My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle), Gilligan’s Island – The Musical (Mary Ann), Annie (Grace), Disney’s Beauty & the Beast (Mrs. Potts), and Legally Blonde (EnidHoops).For the 2021Season,she also music directed WOB’s hilarious production of Ruthless! The Musical and the Children’s Theatre’s holiday production of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Megan has a BME and BA in Vocal Performance from ShepherdUniversityandiscurrentlytheMusic teacher at Winchester Avenue and Gerradstown Elementary Schools in Martinsburg,WV.
CALEB WHITCOMB (Tom): is excited to be performing on the WOB stage again!Caleb’s previous shows include The Addams Family (Pugsley) at Other Voices Theater, Disney’s Descendants (Doug) at Washington County Playhouse, Matilda the Musical (Bruce) at OVT andTheOldOperaHouseTheater, Seussicalthe Musical (Who Cadet) at OVT, Bonnie & Clyde (Young Clyde) at WCP, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast (Chip)and Elf Jr. (Charlie)atWOB.Caleb would like to thank his family and friends for supporting his love of acting and WOB for bringinghimbacktotheirstage.
MATTHEW B. WITHERS (Sir Sagramore): madehisWOBdebutin2021’s Distaster! dying by electrocution...and by falling...and by piranhas...and by rats. He then went on the road as a traveling pajama salesman in the theatre’s production of The Pajama Game, also during the 2021 Season. In 2022, Matt was a regular performer with WOB’s interactive mysteries on the Walkersville Southern Railroad. If you were around in the mid ‘90s, you might have seen him in various productions in the surrounding area or as a singingwaiteronTheSpiritofWashington.
ALAN JAY LERNER (Book & Lyrics) and FREDERICK LOEWE (Music): wrote some of the American theater's most memorable musicals, including My Fair Lady, Camelot, Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon and Gigi. Among their most famous songs are ''Almost Like Being in Love,'' ''I Could Have Danced All Night,’' and ''Thank Heaven for Little Girls.'' Lerner was born in New York City in 1918 and attended Choate and Harvard. Loewe was born in Berlin in 1901 to Viennese parents, made his piano debut with theBerlinSymphonyOrchestraattheageof13 and came to the United States in 1924. The two met in 1942 at the Lambs Club in New York City when Loewe approached Lerner about collaborating on a show.In 1947, they had their first Broadway hit, Brigadoon, followed in 1951 by a second success with Paint Your Wagon In 1956, My Fair Lady, with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, opened on Broadway.Often called the "perfect musical," the show ran for 2,717 performances and the cast album sold more than five million copies. Their 1958 film musical, Gigi, won nine Academy awards and, in 1960, came the last
Academy awards and, in 1960, came the last great success of their partnership, Camelot, starring Richard Burton and Julie Andrews.In 1974, LernerluredLoeweout ofretirement to work on their last venture together: a film version of Antoine de St Exupery's The Little Prince. Lerner went on to collaborate with other composers including Burton Lane, LeonardBernstein,andAndrePrevin.
BILL KISKA (Director, Executive Producer): is WOB’s Executive Producer and CEO. Since taking over the theatre in 2002, he has overseen every production, directing a majority of them, including Hello, Dolly!, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, Gilligan’s Island – The Musical, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Sister Act, Happy Days, SPAMALOT, Anything Goes, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard, Legally Blonde, Hairspray, as wellasmostofthetheatre’sholidayshows.No stranger to appearing on stage, his list of creditsincludeCaptainvonTrappin The Sound of Music, Georges in La Cage aux Folles, Lawrence Jameson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, andHaroldin TheFullMonty.
WAY OFF BROADWAY (Producer): The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, under the directionoftheKiskafamilysince2002,isnow in its 29th Season of producing live theatre. Since it first opened in 1995, the theatre has been aleaderin the area’s theatre community, proudly bringing both classic musicals, as well asregionalandareapremierestotheFrederick stage. Productions have included Disney & Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia!, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Sister Act, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, Noises Off, The Addams Family, Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard, Legally Blonde, Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5: The Musical, Hairspray, South Pacific, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Mel Brooks’ The Producers, CATS, The Wedding
Singer, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, La Cage aux Folles, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, …Forum, Lend Me a Tenor, Joseph…, Blood Brothers, Mame,and 42nd Street.Inadditiontoitsregular Mainstageseason,WayOffBroadwayproduces a number of special events throughout the year, including family theatre productions and an annual Breakfast with Santa (and Mrs. Claus). Through its outside producing brand, WOB LIVE! Entertainment, Way Off Broadway also presents Marquee Mysteries - an interactive murder mystery series where the audience helps solve the case - not only at the theatre, but regularly on the Walkersville Southern Railroad and other venues throughouttheareaforprivatefunctions.
