Fine Arts Center Theatre Company's Balloonacy Program

Fox, Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, The PACE Center, The Arvada Center, The Avenue Theater, The Mizel Arts and Culture Center, and other fine venues. Some recent Colorado Springs design credits include the Theatreworks productions of Steel Magnolias, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, The Santaland Diaries, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth: and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). He is grateful to be a part of this fun and inspiring story alongside the cast, crew, and amazing production team!

Julie Talty (Production Stage Manager) is a Colorado native who loves bringing characters and stories to life through puppetry, art, and circus. She has a background in scenic painting and art education. She has performed her original work in nine different Rocky Mountain Puppet Slams. Recently she stilt-walked amongst the crowd and performed her original marionette/aerial hoop piece for Felt Up at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. She received a grant this year from the Manitou Arts, Culture, and Heritage Initiative to create and perform her original puppet show The Mighty Burros of Manitou Springs, which utilizes marionette, hand/rod, and shadow puppetry. She recently was a puppeteer as a Bad Idea Bear and right-handed Trekkie in Avenue Q with Wynot Productions in Pueblo. She’s been a stage manager for Theatreworks and the Millibo Art Theatre and is excited to be working with the FAC for the first time.

FAC LEADERSHIP Nicole Herden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Director Maria Capp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deputy Director Rebecca Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patron Experience Director Chris Sheley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Producing Artistic Director Michael Christiano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Visual Arts and Museum Tara Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director Bemis School of Art BALLOONACY PRODUCTION STAFF FAC THEATRE COMPANY STAFF Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Jackson

Producing Artistic Director . Christopher L. Sheley

Scenic Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mickey Burdick

Resident Lighting Designer/Lighting Director, Interim Director of Production . Holly Anne Rawls

Lighting Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seth Alison Costume Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amaya Egusquiza Sound Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Drelich

Technical Director . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Finley Costume Shop Supervisor . . . . Sarah Beth Parks

Production Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . Julie Talty

Production Assistant . . . . . . . . . . Morgan Gatson

Carpenters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elesha Adams-Dent, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molly Gillard, Colyer Dermody, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Finley, Madison Dillon

Head of Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Drelich Scenic Charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Talaba

Scenic Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Talaba

Company Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tim Muldrew

Props . . . . . . . . . . . Madison Dillon, Holly A. Rawls

RUN CREW Deck Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abigael (AJ) Vafiades

Scene Shop Supervisor . . . . . . . . Colyer Dermody House Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trish Doyle

Oct. 28–Nov. 19, 2023

By

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Abigael (AJ) Vafiades (Puppeteer) is a graduate from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs’ Theatre and Dance Program. Her past acting credits include the foley artist in It’s A Wonderful Life (Fine Arts Center), #7 in The Wolves (Fine Arts Center), Oberon and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatreworks), Bella Manningham in Gaslight (UCCS), #14 in The Wolves (PPSC), and Judith Tur in Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (PPSC). AJ has also been involved behind the scenes as stage management and crew for productions such as Flotsam (Millibo Art Theatre), The Boys in the Band (Springs Ensemble Theatre), Cinderella (Fine Arts Center), Medea (UCCS), No Exit (UCCS), and Hair (UCCS). She looks forward to performing with this amazing cast in Balloonacy!

Ko rnh ause r

Directed by

Jim Jackson Scenic Design

Lighting Design

Sound Design

Costume Design

Seth Alison

Mickey Burdick Alex Drelich

Amaya Egusquiza

Production Stage Manger

Julie Talty Starring

Christopher Keller Produced by special arrangement with Plays for New Audiences

The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

BIOS Christopher Keller (The Old Man) is a Colorado Springs native who began his chil-

dren’s theatre adventure right here at the FAC performing in the Play Factory and in stage shows like Jack and the Beanstalk. He later did national tour with the Omaha Theater Company for Young People playing Ralph S Mouse in The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Moving forward he had the pleasure of creating several children shows with the Millibo Art Theatre before receiving an education in clowning from The San Francisco Circus centers Clown Conservatory. A couple of national and international tours later, Christopher is back in town to create as many performance opportunities for children as possible.

Jim Jackson (Director) has been adventuring in circus and theatre since 1976, creating and performing in over fifty original productions for children and adults. His international tours of the solo clown show Art Guffaw have made stops at 47 International Children’s Theatre Festivals from Edinburgh to Singapore. Directing new solo plays is his passion and memorable plays are The Hats of Mr Zenobe with Robert Astle (nominated Best Director, Toronto Theatre Awards), Bed with Tomas Kubinek, Stealing Sugar with Birgitta De Pree, and Signature with Rebecca Buric. Jim co-founded with his wife Birgitta De Pree the Millibo Art Theatre in 2002 and his directing credits there include K2, Mother Courage and her Children, The Notorious Nugget, and most recently Picasso at the Lapin Agile. He hopes that you will have as much fun watching Balloonacy as he had directing it. Jim credits his three daughters Julia, Caitlin, and Lisbet for inspiring his best ‘dad’ jokes.

Amaya Egusquiza (Costume Design) (she/her) is originally from Nampa, Idaho and received her Bachelor of Science in Theater Arts from University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. After graduation she relocated to Corvallis, Oregon where she honed her skills as a theater professional through her work as Education Director for the Majestic Theatre, company member at Willamette Stage Company, and co-founder of Pipe Dream Theater. She is currently a stitcher, wardrobe supervisor, and instructor at the Fine Arts Center, and her most recent on stage appearance was as Irina Czarina in Red Herring at the Millibo Art Theater.

Mickey Burdick (Scenic Designer) is the Technical Director for the UCCS Theatre and Dance program, and lecturer in Set Design, Scenic Painting, and Acting I. He received his BFA in theater from the University of Arizona, and MBA from Colorado State University.

Prior to joining the UCCS team, he served as Technical Director for the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, and as Production Manager for Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins. In addition to technical direction, his theatrical experience ranges from actor to director, and designer to playwright. He sends endless love to Rebecca and Hazel for their support.

Seth Alison (Lighting Designer) is honored to be designing Ballonacy as his Fine Arts Center debut. Seth has worked on a variety of other fantastic FAC shows over the years as a stage electrician and currently serves as the Lighting Supervisor at The Ent Center for the Arts. He has been Lighting Director at the Pikes Peak Center, the season Production Electrician for Music Theatre Wichita, and has toured nationally as Lighting Director for an international ballet company. Seth is the proud recipient of three Marlowe Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design and has also received six nominations for the prestigious Henry Award. He has designed lighting for over 150 wonderful Colorado shows over the years at The Aurora