Tuck Everlasting Book by Claudia Shear & Tim Federle Music by Chris Miller | Lyrics by Nathan Tysen Based on the novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt Directed by Fred Sternfeld
July 19 - August 4
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Tuck Everlasting Book by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle Music by Chris Miller Lyrics by Nathan Tysen Based on the novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt Director // Fred Sternfeld Choreographer // Jen Justice Music Director // David Williams Set & Projection Design/Technical Director // Derek Green Costume Designer // Kelly Miloro Lighting Designer // Tobias Peltier Sound Designer // Stan Kozak Properties Master // Paul Melnykowski Stage Manager // Charlene Hartley Assistant Stage Managers // Judy Abelman, Samantha Gates, Zander Saunders Dance Captains // Marlee Roberts-Floyd, Amy Bransky Spotlight Operators // Megan Campana, Wesley Carney Set Crew // Gretchen Woods, Wesley Carney, Julie Billinghurst Soundboard Operator // Sarah Rounds Artistic Director // Brian McNally “Tuck Everlasting” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
Originally Produced on Broadway by Grove Entertainment, Arlene Scanlan & Michael Jackowitz, Howard & Janet Kagan, and Barry Brown World Premier Produced by Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA Susan V. Booth, Artistic Director Orchestrations by John Clancy Vocal Arrangements by Chris Miller Ballet Music Arranged by David Chase
–– PLEASE NOTE ––
The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited
A Note from the director When selecting directing projects I always look for stories that fire something within me. My first prerequisite is that I have to connect to the material. Tuck Everlasting made me feel like the creators had reached into my soul, pulled out everything I’d recently experienced in my life and turned it into a gorgeous musical. I’m at that stage in life where the arc of my journey is on my mind more and more. The clock ticks louder and my appreciation of the preciousness of life and the people I share it with grows stronger with each event I encounter. Three years ago, my oldest son married the daughter of a lifelong friend. When our first grandchild was born, my wife Randi and I shared in that joy. Two months later, I had unexpected open heart surgery. A year later, I’m doing better than ever thanks to the love and help from family and friends. And now we are happily looking forward to our younger son’s wedding. What does all this have to do with Tuck? As The Man In The Yellow Suit says in the play, “Only everything.” Mortality, milestones, life’s ups and downs, and how the choices we make impact us and the people around us -- these are the play’s universal themes that have intersected with my own journey in a particularly timely and personal way. This musical is beautiful, thoughtful, tender, a little scary and very lyrical. Every second of putting this show together was a joy, made even more so by the immense talent and hard work of this marvelous cast, crew and staff. I hope this fable will affect you with the same resonance as it did me.
Fred Sternfeld Director
Musical Numbers // Act I // Scene 1: The Spring “Opening” “Live Like This” “Live Like This (Playoff)” Scene 2: Foster Parlor “Good Girl Winnie Foster” Scene 3: Foster Garden “Good Girl Winnie Foster” cont. “Join The Parade” “Good Girl Winnie Foster (Tag)” Scene 4: The Spring “Top Of The World” Scene 5: The Spring Scene 6: Foster Garden “Hugo’s First Case” “Hugo’s First Case (Reprise)” Scene 7: Tuck Cottage “The Story Of The Tucks” Scene 8: Tuck Attic “My Most Beautiful Day” “Beautiful Day (Part 2)” “From Attic To Porch” Scene 9: Tuck Porch Scene 10: The Fair “Join The Parade” “Partner In Crime” “Partner In Crime (Part 2)”
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Scene 11: The Silo “Seventeen” “End Of Act I”
Musical Numbers // Act II // Scene 1: Backstage At The Fair “Everything’s Golden” “Everything’s Golden (Part 2)” “Everything’s Golden (Playoff)” Scene 2: Foster Fence Scene 3: Tuck Cottage “Seventeen (Reprise)” “Time” Scene 4: Stump Outside Tuck Cottage “Time (Reprise)” Scene 5: Foster Parlor “Everything’s Golden” Scene 6: Path Near Wood “You Can’t Trust A Man” Scene 7: The Lake “The Wheel” Scene 8: The Spring “The Story Of The Man In The Yellow Suit” Scene 9: Path Back Home “Everlasting” Scene 10: Foster Garden “The Story Of Winnie Foster” Scene 11: Tucks At The Grave “The Wheel (Reprise)”
// The End //
**PLEASE NOTE**
Please be advised this show features gunshot sound fx and water-based haze.
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Cast Winnie Foster.......................................................................Calista Zajac Betsy Foster, Winnie’s Mother.....................................Katie Gibson Nana Foster, Winnie’s Grandmother..........................Jeanne Task Jesse Tuck......................................................................Stephen Sandham Miles Tuck..............................................................................Aidan McKeon Mae Tuck..................................................................................Amiee Collier Angus Tuck...............................................................................Daren Stahl Hugo Jackson.................................................................Joshua McElroy Constable Joe........................................................................Bob Abelman The Man in the Yellow Suit....................................Michael Dempsey Thomas Tuck............................................................................Lyric Zeager Ensemble.................................................................................Judy Abelman Ensemble.............................................................................Edie Barcelona Ensemble.....................................................................Isabel Billinghurst Ensemble...................................................................................Amy Bransky Ensemble.........................................................................................Gavin Ditz Ensemble.............................................................................Paige Elizabeth Ensemble..............................................................Marlee Roberts-Floyd Ensemble......................................................................................Julia Green Ensemble.................................................................Christopher Michael Ensemble.......................................................................Gregory Robinson Ensemble..................................................................................Michael Ryan Ensemble....................................................................................Lyric Zeager
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Production Team Director..............................................................................Fred Sternfeld Choreographer.........................................................................Jen Justice Music Director..................................................................David Williams Set & Projection Design/Technical Director......Derek Green Costume Designer................................................................Kelly Miloro Lighting Designer..............................................................Tobias Peltier Sound Designer........................................................................Stan Kozak Properties Master...................................................Paul Melnykowski Stage Manager...........................................................Charlene Hartley Assistant Stage Managers...........................................Judy Abelman, Samantha Gates, Zander Saunders Dance Captains..................Marlee Roberts-Floyd, Amy Bransky Spotlight Operators...............Megan Campana, Wesley Carney Soundboard Operator...................................................Sarah Rounds Set Crew.........................................................................Gretchen Woods, Wesley Carney, Julie Billinghurst
Orchestra Drums...................................................................................Andy Pongranz Bass............................................................................................Jared Dubber Keyboard 1...........................................................................David Williams Keyboard 2.....................................................................................Dave Coxe Reeds........................................................................................Kimberly Coxe Trumpet..............................................................................................Cody Ray Violin............................................................................................Sara Becker Cello................................................................................McKinley Glasser
Special Thanks to... John Harris of Chesapeake Light Craft www.clcboats.com Pg. 11
Actor/Actress Bios
CAST BOB ABELMAN (Constable Joe) is happy to be returning to French Creek, where he performed in The Diary of Anne Frank (Mr. Dussel). He has been a professional actor since the age of seven and, as a younger man, appeared on Broadway and so far offBroadway it was Connecticut. Most recently, he appeared in Mercury Theatre’s Caroline or Change and has performed on stage at Cleveland Play House, Karamu House, Beck Center for the Arts, Dobama Theatre, Cain Park, Fairmount Center for the Arts, and Lakeland Civic Theatre. Tuck represents Bob’s sixth show directed by Fred Sternfeld, each one an absolute pleasure. JUDY ABELMAN (Ensemble/ Assistant Stage Manager) is pleased to be making her French Creek debut, having performed elsewhere in Annie Get Your Gun, Star-Spangled Girl, Wait Until Dark and Skin of Our Teeth, among other Pg. 12 productions. Most
recently, performances have been limited to the boardroom in her capacity as Vice President of Communications for a global corporation. Many thanks to Fred and Bob for getting her back on the boards. EDIE BARCELONA (Ensemble) is a rising 8th grader at Harding Middle School and is ecstatic to be making her French Creek Theatre debut! Her previous credits include: Near West Theatre’s Newsies, Xanadu, Mary Poppins, The Snow Queen and Jesus Christ Superstar; Great Lakes Theatre’s A Christmas Carol, and Beck Center for the Arts’ Gypsy and Billy Elliot. Edie has been seen in Cocktail Hour with Ballet with a Twist (Mint Julep), was featured in “Fear” at The Children’s Museum, and is featured in an upcoming small film Small Print (Rose) with Courting Sanity Productions. She has been dancing at Beck Center for the Arts for 10 years, training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Pointe, Contemporary, and Modern.
Edie,
Everything you do is golden! Congratulations on being part of such a wonderful show! Love, Mom, Dad, and Cora
Actor/Actress Bios “Thank you to everyone who made this show possible!” ISABEL FAITH BILLINGHURST (Ensemble) is thrilled to be returning to the French Creek stage, where she has performed in White Christmas (Judy), Shrek the Musical (Teen Fiona/Witch), and her personal favorite The Glass Menagerie (Laura Wingfield). Isabel is currently a rising senior Musical Theatre major at Otterbein University where she was seen in Macbeth (Banquo), The Diary of Anne Frank (Mrs. van Daan), and Next to Normal (Diana). Isabel would like to thank this awesome cast for breathing life into this beautiful show, the crew for (literally) making it all possible, and to Fred, Jen, and David for fitting all the pieces together. “This one is for you, Grandpa Larry!” AMY BRANSKY (Dance Captain/ Ensemble) is thrilled to be making her French Creek debut. She is a music major at Tri-C and a rising junior at the Academy for the Performing Arts. She has been dancing, singing, playing piano and performing all her
life. Some of her favorite roles are in Everyman (Everyman), Mary Poppins (Neleus), and the recent Mercury Theatre production of Mamma Mia (Ali). “Thank you to friends and family for their endless love and support.” AMIEE COLLIER (Mae Tuck) is happy to return to French Creek, where she was seen on stage in Sunday in the Park with George (Dot/ Marie). Amiee has a long list of roles, but here are some of her favorites: Merrily We Roll Along (Mary) and Next to Normal (Diana) at Lakeland Civic; Bat Boy: The Musical (Meredith Parker) and Equus (Hesther) at Blank Canvas Theatre; Sweeney Todd (The Beggar Woman) at Cain Park; and Jekyll & Hyde (Lucy) and Evil Dead – The Musical (Cheryl) at Beck Center for the Arts. amieecollier.com M I C H A E L DEMPSEY (Man In The Yellow Suit) is a novelist, playwright, actor and director. A former television and film comedy writer (CBS’s Cybill, The George Wendt Show), his plays have been produced in NYC, LA and regionally. In NE Ohio, he’s directed at Players Guild of Pg. 13
Actor/Actress Bios Canton, TrueNorth Cultural Arts, Rust Belt Theatre Company, and other local theaters. Michael recently worked with director Fred Sternfeld at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre in Mamma Mia! (Harry Bright). Other favorite productions include Baby (Alan), A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Hysterium), Young Frankenstein (Igor), Macbeth (Macbeth) and Equus (Martin Dysart). Michael studied theatre at Ohio State University, Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain. He’s a past recipient of an Ohio Arts Council award for playwriting and his sci fi noir novel, Necropolis, is available nationally from Night Shade Books. Michael’s company, SmashUp Entertainment, creates comedydriven theatre events combining slapstick, music, dance, improv and environmental elements. GAVIN DITZ (Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of this amazing cast! Recent credits include Babes in Toyland (Gonzorgo) and Into the Woods, Jr. (Baker). He will be a sophomore at Westlake High School and is active in their music program. This will be his 6th year in orchestra playing the double bass. He is also in Chorale, Men’s Chorus, and Pg. 14 show choir. Gavin trains
as a member of Dance Company and takes vocal lessons at Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School. He is also active with performance dance teams. He would like to thank his mom “for all of her encouragement and support.” PAIGE ELIZABETH (Ensemble) is so beyond thrilled to be making her French Creek debut Some of her favorite productions include Beauty and The Beast (Belle), Legally Blonde (Margot), Into the Woods (Bakers Wife), Bye Bye Birdie (Kim MaCafee) and Les Miserable (Cosette). Paige would like tothank her friends, her family and this wonderful cast and crew who have allowed her to be a part of something wonderful. MARLEE FLOYD (Dance Captain/ Ensemble) is a deeply rooted southern girl from Louisiana, where she graduated with a BA in Theatre and Dance at Northwestern State University. She has trained in ballet, jazz, tap, musical theatre, and modern since the age of eight. Since moving to Ohio in 2014, Marlee has appeared in
Actor/Actress Bios productions at Olmsted Performing Arts in addition to three seasons of professional roles as a company member in North Pointe Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Other Side, and The Sleeping Beauty. She has also had the pleasure of choreographing musicals such as Seussical Jr. and Legally Blonde, as well as for performance groups that have danced at the All Ohio Dance Festival and Walt Disney World. Along with her passion for performing, Marlee is proud to be part of the teaching staff at Jillian Rian’s Dance Studio. KATE GIBSON (Betsy Foster) has appeared at a variety of venues as actress and/ or choreographer since graduating from Bowling Green State University with a BM in vocal performance. Some of her favorite past shows include Mamma Mia! with Chagrin Valley Little Theatre and choreographing Avenue Q with Blank Canvas Theatre. In whatever free time she has, Katie teaches dance and voice privately and with Cleveland Heights High School. JULIA GREEN (Ensemble) has been a dancer for 16 years at Studio 82, where she was a part of both their competitive and volunteer performance teams. She now
teaches dance, theatre and gymnastics at the Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School and is represented by Heyman Talent Agency for film acting and modeling. Her favorite past productions include Fame (Carmen), The Wiz (Glinda), and Into the Woods Jr. (The Witch). Julia would like to give a special thanks to Fred for having faith in her, the entire production staff for the endless hours and effort they contribute to make this show possible, the cast for being so welcoming, and her friends and family for supporting her dreams and sharing this wonderful adventure. “Enjoy the show!” J O S H U A MCELROY (Hugo) is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BA in Video. In addition to being a versatile visual artist, he is also a musician and comedian. Joshua got started in theatre six years ago while he was the director of the Shaker Heights Improv Team, as well as a member of Case Western Reserve University’s IMPROVment. He was also part of a weekly performing comedy Pg. 15
Actor/Actress Bios group at Hilarities in downtown Cleveland’s Pickwick & Frolic. Joshua has performed in plays at Ensemble Theatre, Waterloo Arts Center, Cuyahoga Community College, convergence-continuum, Cleveland Public Theatre and Dobama Theatre. He got his start at the Karamu House, where he performed in the musicals The Color Purple, The Wiz, Passing Strange and, most recently, in Aida. Joshua is so excited to be making his French Creek Theatre debut. AIDAN MCKEON (Miles) is excited to be making his French Creek debut. A recent graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where he performed in Tuck Everlasting (Miles) and Sweeney Todd (u/s Beadle) as well as directed Under My Feet: A Carole King Cabaret, Aidan is currently studying theater and arts management at Miami University of Ohio, hoping to advocate for theater education and public arts funding. Favorite Cleveland area credits include Children of Eden (Adam), Carrie (Billy), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Ensemble), Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon), and Godspell (Judas). Aidan would like to dedicate this performance to his late grandfather, John C. Clegg, and to Pg. 16 his grandmother, Eileen
Clegg, who has never missed a performance of his. @aidan.mck C H R I S TO P H E R M I C H A E L (Ensemble) Originally from Troy, Michigan, most recent credits include Oklahoma! (Dream Curly), Ordinary Days (Warren) and One Good Day (Max). This is Christopher’s first production with French Creek Theatre and he couldn’t be more thrilled! He is a senior at Michigan State University where he is earning a BA in Theatre, BA in Arts & Humanities and is pursuing a minor in Musical Theatre as well as Dance. As always, he thanks his family and Kevin for their endless love and support. @ christophermichaelx G R E G O R Y RO B I N S O N (Ensemble) has been in local community and church plays for 25 years, which include Catch Me If You Can, One of my Wives is Missing, and Portrait of a Madonna. Greg was also seen in a commercial for Jared Jewelers and the movie Criminal Activities, which was filmed in Cleveland. He is also a chess instructor in several local school districts.
Actor/Actress Bios MICHAEL RYAN (Ensemble) is very excited to be making his debut at French Creek Theatre. Some of his favorite productions are Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere), Les Misérable (Courfeyrac) and Shrek the Musical (Pinocchio). He’s very grateful to his parents and God for giving him the opportunity to perform with such an amazing cast. S T E P H E N SANDHAM (Jesse Tuck) is elated to be a part of this beautiful show, with such a talented cast, in his French Creek Theatre debut! He has performed at the Fine Arts Association, Rabbit Run Theater and Geauga Theater, where favorite credits include The Secret Garden (Dickon), Into the Woods (Jack), Beauty and the Beast (LeFou), Annie Get Your Gun (Tommy Keeler) and The Little Mermaid (Jetsam). He also debuted as choreographer this summer with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang jr. at Rabbit Run Theater. “Thanks go to God for his family, his voice teacher Lindsey, and his instructors at Spotlight Dance for their love and support. Rom. 5:8.”
DAREN STAHL (Angus Tuck) is excited to be making his debut at French Creek Theatre. He has a Bachelor of Music, Vocal Performance Degree from Kent State University and a Masters of Education degree from Cleveland State University. Daren has worked in arts education as a performer in different educational outreach settings with Cleveland Opera and Great Lakes Theater Festival. He’s been an elementary school teacher for 18 years and enjoys his hobbies of “tinkering” with old cars and motorcycles, photography, and home improvement. He would like to thank his family (and his work family) and the entire cast for this special opportunity. As Angus says, “I don’t get out much.” JEANNE TASK (Nana) is very excited to be appearing at French Creek Theatre. She was last seen in Steel Magnolias (Ouzier), also directed by Fred Sternfeld. She has been very active in the Cleveland theater scene for many years, and has appeared at Dobama Theater, Ensemble Pg. 17
Actor/Actress Bios Theater, convergence-continuum and Cleveland Public Theater. Some other favorite performances include: The Lyons (Ricky), Pippin (Berthe), Fiddler on the Roof (Golde) and Angels in America (Hannah). CALISTA ZAJAC (Winnie Foster) is thrilled to be making her French Creek debut. Some of her favorite roles can be found in Les Miserables (Young Cosette) at Great Lakes Theatre, Ruthless (Tina) at The Beck Center for the Arts, The Nether (Iris) at Dobama Theatre, Into The Woods (Little Red) at Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute, as well as Broadway Kidz Backwards at Feinstein’s 54 Below. She recently attended the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, GA with Broadway Bound Kidz, where she won “Outstanding Female Performer.” She is grateful to her friends and family for all of their love and support. She would also like to thank Fred and all involved who made Tuck Everlasting such a memorable experience. LYRIC ZEAGER (Thomas Tuck/ Ensemble) is beyond thrilled to be making her French Creek Theatre’s debut. She has had a wonderful experience with this extremely talented production team and cast and has thoroughly Pg. 18 enjoyed spending
the summer in Treegap, NH. She hopes you find as much magic in this beautiful story as she has. Favorite productions include Annie (Molly), Peter Pan (Nibs), Little Miss Sunshine (Tracee/ Mean Girl) and Seussical (Cindy-Lou Who).
Production Team: FRED STERNFELD (Director) is pleased to return to French Creek Theatre, where he directed Death of a Salesman. For TrueNorth Theatre, Fred directed Next to Normal, The Glass Menagerie, The Miracle Worker, West Side Story, The Fantasticks, Steel Magnolias, and Baby. Over the past 40 years, he has directed more than 130 productions in Cleveland, Seattle and Dallas. Recent productions include Mamma Mia! at Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Other Desert Cities at Clague Playhouse, You Can’t Take It With You at Karamu House Theatre, Of Mice and Men at Coach House Theatre, and Good People at Aurora Theatre. Fred is widely represented on Northeast Ohio stages through diverse, awardwinning projects, some of which are
Actor/Actress Bios listed here: Company, Les Miserables: School Edition and A Little Night Music at Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory, Next to Normal, West Side Story, The Miracle Worker and Baby at TrueNorth, Rent and Into the Woods at Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute, Yellowman and The Bluest Eye at Karamu Theatre, Saturday Night, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan at Beck Center, Ragtime, the musical, Conversations With My Father and Man of La Mancha at the JCC and Fiddler on the Roof and The Sound of Music at Cain Park. Additionally, he and his wife Randi recently started producing shows on Broadway, including the Lortel Nominated “Best Musical” Be More Chill, the upcoming revival of The Secret Garden, and a new musical by Jerry Zucker (film: Airplane, Naked Gun, Ghost) currently titled Intermission! The Musical! Proud member of SDC, the union for Stage Directors and Choreographers. www.fredsternfeld.com. SAMANTHA GATES (Assistant Stage Manager) joined this production having recently served as stage manager for Fred Sternfeld’s production of Other Desert Cities at Clague Playhouse. Other productions in the Greater Cleveland Area include Stow Players’ Babes in Toyland and, at Weathervane Playhouse, Young Frankenstein and Good Surprises at Weathervane Playhouse, which was the winner of the 2017 8x10 Festival. She also has worked on various productions in her hometown of Rochester, NY, and through her alma mater, Bucknell
University. Derek Green (Scenic & Projection Designer, Technical Director) is a Cleveland-based freelance scenic designer. Favorite design credits at French Creek include She Loves Me, Children of Eden, I’m Not Rappaport, Bonnie & Clyde, and Our Town. Derek currently serves as the Associate Producer for Education at Cleveland Play House. Much love and thanks to Julie and Paul. Dgreentheatre.com CHARLENE HARTLEY (Stage Manager) has previously stage managed productions at French Creek, including Death of a Salesman, The Glass Menagerie, Pajama Game, The Giver and Seussical. She has also worked on productions in various backstage positions in Ohio and Michigan. Her favorite past shows include Newsies at Mercury Theatre, The Glass Menagerie at French Creek Theatre, The Secret Garden at Interlochen Arts Academy, and Coppelia at Alma College. JEN JUSTICE (Choreographer) has been working in the Cleveland area as both a c h o re o g r a p h e r and performer for over 20 years. Her work has appeared at several local venues, including Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, The Cassidy Theatre, Pg. 19
Actor/Actress Bios Lakeland Civic Theatre, The Fine Arts Association, Theatre In The Circle, Pickwick and Frolic, as well as several high school and youth theaters. Favorite production credits include Chicago, Pippin, American Idiot, The Producers, Spamalot, Shrek, White Christmas, Grease, Beauty and The Beast, Hairspray, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Legally Blonde, and several incarnations of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. As a performer, Jennifer has appeared in local productions of Chicago (Roxie Hart), A Chorus Line (Cassie), Anything Goes (Reno Sweeney), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Guys and Dolls (Miss Adelaide), The Addams Family (Morticia), The Pajama Game (Gladys Hotchkiss), Steel Magnolias (Truvy), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Sally) and, most recently, Tanya in Cassidy Theatre’s production of Mamma Mia! Deepest gratitude to Fred for this amazing opportunity. “To David, Marlee and the entire production staff - you are all marvels. And to this wonderfully talented cast - it is an honor to share this beautiful journey with you. I am in awe of your gifts and energy. As ever, to my beloved Mom, who encouraged me to do what I love and follow my heart always. Day na na.” Stan Kozak (Sound Designer) Stan Kozak, currently in his twenty-seventh season at Great Lakes Theater, has more than 50 design credits including Bat Boy: The Musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Comedy Pg. 20 of Errors, Amadeus, You
Can’t Take It With You, Private Lives, Into the Woods and the Tom Hanks’ benefit performances. His work in 1979 and 1981 with Geraldine Fitzgerald on Streetsongs at GLTF led to the original cast album. Mr. Kozak was the resident sound designer for four seasons at the Porthouse Theatre Company, including productions of Driving Miss Daisy, Niteclub Confidential and a Nightingale Sang. His collaborations with Victoria Bussert at BaldwinWallace College include productions of Chess, Hair, Company, Cabaret, West Side Story, Tommy in Concert, Parade, the Ohio premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Passion, and one of the first nonprofessional productions of Phantom of the Opera. For Cain Park, his design credits include Secret Garden, Fiddler on the Roof, Grease, Bat Boy, Tick, tick…Boom, Nine, The Wiz, Harold and Maude and Pippin. Mr. Kozak has also designed sound for Wit and Last Five Years for the Dobama Theater, Iolanthe and Sweeney Todd for the Cleveland Opera, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and Forbidden Broadway SVU for the Hanna Theatre and A Shayna Maidel, Brooklyn Boy and Pangs of the Messiah for the JCC. He has served as sound designer for the All-City Musical for the Cleveland school system for eight seasons. He also had the good fortune to have worked with Bebe Neuwirth in her concert performance for the Ideastream Gala in 2005. He was honored to be among the first group of LORT sound designers to achieve recognition in USA 829.
Actor/Actress Bios Tobias Peltier (Lighting Designer) is a transplanted West Coast native where he cut his teeth in Theatre and Film working on multiple Emmy award winning television shows including NCIS and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. After moving to New York City, Tobias worked on various Broadway productions including the Tony award winning Wicked and winner of the Drama Desk Award The Best is Yet to Come: the Music of Cy Coleman. Tobias currently serves as the Technical Director of the premier event space on the West Side of Cleveland at the Breen Center for the Performing Arts. Tobias is a Guest Designer in residence at Illinois Wesleyan University. Tobias’ newest residency is at Ohio Northern University where he serves as the Resident Sound Designer. Recent lighting design credits for the Brecksville Theatre include Chicago and Newsies!. Other credits include: Fame! (Sound Design) at Illinois Wesleyan University; Angels in America and Angels in America: Perestroika (Sound Design) at Baldwin Wallace University. Tobias is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. Sarah Rounds (Sound Board Operator) is excited to be back working on her eleventh show at French Creek! She graduated from Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, earning a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Recording Arts and currently works at Playhouse Square as a Ticketing Concierge. She is an Avon High School alumni where she was hugely involved in the drama club and was
inducted into the Thespian Society. She enjoyed being on stage as much as working off stage in running crew and as head of the makeup/hair crew. In her free time, Sarah likes to sing, teach herself new instruments, hang out with friends and family, work on her sound design skills, and cuddle with her puppy. ZANDER SAUNDERS (Assistant Stage Manager) is so ecstatic to be working with this cast. He recently graduated from Elyria High School, where he performed in Arsenic and Old Lace (Teddy Brewster), And Then They Came For Me (Pappy) and Alice in Wonderland (The White Rabbit). Zander stage managed Almost, Maine, Oliver! and many other productions with the Elyria Performing Arts Center team. He will be attending Cleveland State University this fall for technical theater. Zander would like to thank Fred Sternfeld and Charlene Hartley for giving him this opportunity to stage manage. He hopes you enjoy the show. DAVID A. WILLIAMS (Music Director) began his professional career as a pianist for The Gene Carroll/ Entertainment Five Show (WEWSTV, ABC). In junior high school at the time, he was hired as music director for the last five years of its Pg. 21
Actor/Actress Bios run. During this time, he sang with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and studied piano and voice at Cleveland State University. David also attended Summer Music Academy in Hudson, Ohio. He left Cleveland to attend The University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. While there, he worked on productions of Carousel, Flora, The Red Menace, Chess, Evita, Into the Woods, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. In 1988, he earned his BA in Jazz and Studio Music. Upon graduation, he began sailing around the world with Princess Cruises. David would play the main lounge shows, with small combos, or solo piano bar. In 1991, David returned to Cincinnati and in 1993, earned his master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting. He then moved to Ft. Lauderdale where he musically directed shows with Jean Ann Ryan Productions for the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet. These productions included George M; Chorus Line; Dreamgirls; Hello, Dolly; Pippin; Meet Me in St. Louis; and My Fair Lady. David left Ft. Lauderdale when he started conducting over six hundred performances of Smokey Joe’s Café in Reno, Nevada; Germany; Switzerland; and Brazil. He later returned to Germany for productions of Beauty and the Beast and Grease. In 2007, David joined a company of West Side Story as assistant conductor/ principal pianist. The tour included performances in Italy, Holland, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and China. It was the 50th anniversary of the show and included the
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Chinese premiere. A U.S. tour of I Can’t Stop Loving You, a Ray Charles tribute, followed. After this, he decided to move back home to be closer to his family. David now performs with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra at Severance Hall and has conducted productions of Mamma Mia, Ragtime, A Little Night Music, Les Miserables, 1940’s Radio Hour, 13: The Musical, She Loves Me, Jesus Christ Superstar, Eliot Ness, Sideshow, Man of La Mancha, Five Guys Named Moe, The Boys from Syracuse, and Children of Eden at various theaters.
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