Cast of Theatre Aspen's 2009 Summer Season Announced!

CAST 

SALLY MAE DUNN (Chapter Two/Faye) Sally Mae is pleased to be out in Aspen this summer!  Past credits include Broadway: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, orig. cast, Never Gonna Dance, orig. cast, Sondheim's Follies, Beauty and the Beast, Babette u/s, Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, orig. cast, and The Will Rogers Follies, orig. cast.  National Tours:  Chicago, June, Anything Goes, Radio City Rockettes promo tours.  Regional Roles: Contact, The Wife; Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Angel; Sweet Charity, Charity; Look Ma, I'm Dancin, Dusty; The Laramie Project, Mrs. Murray.  TV:  Conviction, Stella, As the World Turns, One Life to Live.  *

 

ROBIN LEE GALLO (Bee/Marcy Park) is thrilled to be performing at Theatre Aspen!  Broadway: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  National tours: Miss Saigon, Happily Ever After (Cinderella).  Off-Broadway/NY: Kahn & Kant, The Yellow Wood, Making Tracks, The Wedding Banquet, Make Cake Not War.  Regional: Miss Saigon (Kim), Tomfoolery, Children of Eden, A Chorus Line (Connie), Titanic.  BFA: NYU/Tisch.  Special thanks to Andrew Byrne, Craig Holzberg, The Transcendence Theatre and Jen Waldman.  Love to Mom, Dad, Stephan, and God!!    *

 

JOAN HESS (Bee/Rona Lisa Peretti, Chapter Two/Jennie)  Recent Television:  HBO's award-winning series Flight of the Conchords (Jessica). Broadway:  Mamma Mia (Tanya),  Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Sophia;  Christine & Muriel cover), Bells are Ringing (Bridgette; Ella cover), Kiss Me Kate (Edie; Hattie cover), Crazy for You (Patsy).  National Tours:  Crazy for You, Sunset Boulevard, 42nd Street, Beehive. Off-Broadway:  Lincoln Center's Dessa Rose. Favorite Regional:  Born Yesterday (Billie Dawn), Gypsy (Louise), La Vie en Bleu - World Premiere (Fernande Olivier), 1940's Radio Hour (Ann - Best Actress Nomination), Steel Magnolias (Shelby).  Joan produced and hosted live television, served as a film script supervisor, continues to perform with symphonies all over the world, and toured South Africa, England and Italy on Travel Channel's Fantasy Rails for Millionaires with her wonderful husband, David Hess.  She's also a Colorado native!  This is for Dad.  *

 

JONATHAN KAY (Bee/William Barfee) Jonathan is thrilled to be part of the Bee at Theatre Aspen.   National Tour: White Christmas.  New York: The Body Beautiful (The York Theatre, cast recording) Gemini the Musical (The Acorn Theatre) Orange (Center Stage) The New Hopeville Comics (45^th Street Theater) Man of La Mancha  (St. George Theatre). Regional: Assassins, Floyd Collins, and The Misanthrope all at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. Film & TV: Loving Leah (CBS Movie for Television) Once More With Feeling (Rosetta Films) Jonathan is a graduate of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a proud member of Actors Equity.  *

 

JEFF LEATHERWOOD (Bee/Leaf Conneybear, Frog and Toad/Snail) Jeff has been performing for years in the Los Angeles area, splitting his time between bands and theatrical endeavors. Recent credits include Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (Gabe), Bat Boy: The Musical (Edgar), Altar Boyz (Matthew), Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon), South Pacific (Lt. Cable), Baby (Danny) and The Diviners (Dewey Maples at The Kennedy Center). Last year he was also the lead male singer on the Kidz Bop World Tour, singing and playing guitar in arenas across the country.

 

JAMES LUDWIG (Chapter Two/George) is delighted to be performing at Theatre Aspen.  He is presently the Producer and Co-host of the popular web series The Happy Hour Guys (thehappyhourguys.com).  Broadway: Lancelot in Monty Python's Spamalot, directed by Mike Nichols; Little Shop of Horrors.  Off-B’way: Blue Man Group,De La Guarda, Playwrights’ Horizons, Carnegie Hall and “John” in the original company of the cult classic musical john & jen. Regional appearances: the Guthrie, Cleveland Play House, Ford’s Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Arena Stage and Colorado Shakespeare Festival.  Film and Television:  Lipstick Jungle, Law & Order: C.I., Chappelle’s Show, One Life to Live and All My Children, and the films Ghost Town, The National Actor’s Draft, The Crackle Box! and Bury the Evidence.  As a screenwriter, credits include The National Actor's Draft, The Perfect Pitch, The Happy Hour Guys, Birdbander and A Face in the Rock.  Proud member of Actor’s Equity Association. 

 

ALISON LUFF (Bee/Olive, Frog and Toad/Woman 2) Alison is overjoyed to be a part of this production! NYC credits include Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie Dillmount), Like You Like It (Rosalind) The Gallery Players. Others: Little Women (Jo) Cinderella (Cinderella) HITS; Illyria (Olivia), ...Forum (Philia), Fantasticks (Louisa) Texas Repertory Theatre; Beauty and the Beast (Ensemble) TUTS; Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie), Sweeney Todd (Johanna), I Love You, Youʼre Perfect... (Woman 1), Guys and Dolls (Sarah), Urinetown (Hope), Parade (Essie), Wizard of Oz (Dorothy). Much love and gratitude to her family, Judy, Spencer and Craig. Peace.

 

BETH MALONE (Bee/Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre)  made her Broadway debut in Ring of Fire. Off-Broadway, she created the role of Alison in the musical Bingo! Regional credits include Ring of Fire (Studio Arena Theatre); You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Ovation nom.); Grand Hotel (Peter Schneider, dir.); A New Brain (Reprise!/David Lee, dir.), Babes in Arms (Reprise!/Glenn Casale dir.); Mark Taper Forum; Denver Center Theatre; the Ordway; Adirondack Theatre Festival; Arvada Center; and Aspen Theatre in the Park. TV: “Reno 911,” “Wanda Does It,” “Second Nature” (pilot), “Judging Amy,” “One Minute Soap Opera” (series regular) and the host of “What’s On” (TV Guide Channel). Beth thanks her parents and Shelly for their endless patience and support.  *

 

MONICA MONTANY (Frog and Toad/Woman 1) An Aspen resident and New England native, Monica is thrilled to be performing this season with Theatre Aspen. Stage credits include How To Succeed…Really Trying (Rosemary), A Funny Thing Happened… (Courtesan) and West Side Story (Estella). Most recently Monica appeared in Aspen Community Theatre's production of Chicago. A passionate jazz singer of the old standards, she has performed with the Twilight Players in Vermont and was a regular with the Rob Leachman Jazz Trio in Washington, DC. 

 

JORDAN NICHOLS (Bee/Chip Tolentino) Jordan most recently originated the role of Jordy Benedict in Michael John Lachiusa and Sybille Pearson's new musical Giant at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA.  Other Credits:  Off Bway:  The Fantasticks (Matt/Mute); Regional:  Urinetown (Bobby Strong), Ragtime (Younger Brother), Bat Boy! The Musical (Lorraine, Rick), The Goat or Who is Sylvia? (Billy), Honk! (Ugly), Spinning into Butter (Patrick).  He is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts - CAP 21.  *

 

SCOTT RATHBUN (Frog and Toad/Toad) has been performing professionally around the country since 2001 and is proud to make his Theatre Aspen debut.  He received the 2008 Denver Post Ovation Reader’s Choice Award for his portrayal of Toad in Denver. Most recently Scott originated the role of Cholly Butts in the world premiere of Walton Jones’ 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol and played the role of Max Bialystock in the Colorado premiere of The Producers. www.scottrathbun.com

 

JODY REYNARD (Bee/Mitch Mahoney) credits include the Broadway companies of Legally Blonde, Taboo, Saturday Night Fever, Fosse, the 1st national touring company of Kiss Me Kate and regional productions of Beauty & the Beast, Aida and Thoroughly Modern Millie.  He’s also been seen as “Ken” in Smokey Joe’s Café, Darren Lemming in Take Me Out and as a dancer in Rosie Live! on NBC.  Jody placed 5th in his county Spelling Bee in 8th grade.  *

 

JEREMY SORTORE (Frog and Toad/Frog) is hopping with joy to reprise the role of Frog, which he last played at the Arvada Center in 2008. Other recent Arvada Center Children's Theatre projects include Seussical and Just So. Primarily a professional actor and singer based in Denver, Jeremy also translates and prepares surtitles for Opera Colorado and teaches privately, and was formerly on the voice faculty at the University of Colorado at Denver. For more information, please visit www.jeremysortore.com.

 

JAMISON STERN (Bee/Panch, Chapter Two/Leo) Jamison is so grateful to be spending the summer at Theatre Aspen and thanks Paige, Mark and Jay for the incredible opportunities!  B’WAY/NATIONAL TOURS: By Jeeves (Bingo Little), Little Shop Of Horrors (Seymour/Orin), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere). OFF B’WAY: Newsical the Musical, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Minnie’s Boys, Bush Wars. REGIONAL:  It’s Only Life, She Loves Me (Rubicon), Fully Committed. The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) (Cin. Playhouse and Rep Theatre of St. Louis).  Black Comedy, The Invention of Love, As Bees in Honey Drown, A Flea in Her Ear, A Comedy of Errors, Best Little Whorehouse… (Arvada), Ragtime (Pioneer Theatre), Tommy (Houston’s TUTS), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Cincinnati Playhouse),  Forever Plaid (Actor’s Theatre of Louisville). TV/FILM: Law and Order, Day Zero, The Finger Lakes, Joke Bitch, The Entrepreneurs. *

 

* Member Actors' Equity Association

 

PRODUCTION CREW 2009

 

Production Manager                                    Nicole Bromley

Technical Director                                       Stub Allison

Assistant Technical Director                        Brian (Marco) Markiewicz

Production Stage Manager                          Vernon Willet  *

Stage Manager                                           Sarah Schultz

Assistant Stage Managers                           Sarah Chapman

 

Company Manager                                        Rodney Lizcano

House Manager                                             Colleen Finnegan

Master Electrician                                          Kyle Gavell

Sound Designer                                             David Thomas

Lighting Designer                                           Charles MacLeod

Follow Spot Operators                                    

Stagehand/Running Crew                              Richard Price

Sound Board Operator                                  Anthony “AJ” Treigle

Wardrobe Supervisor                                    Katharine Mathis

Properties Supervisor                                   Meghan Stiles

Scenic Carpenter                                         Louis Fernandez

Scenic Painters                                           Jennifer Raddatz

                                                                   Melanie Rentschler

Casting Directors                                          Wojcik/Seay Casting

Casting Assistants   Melanie Lockyer                                            

                                                                   Jesse Sullivan

Interns                                                         Nikki Cicurel

                                                                   Julie Wunderlin

                                                                   Nicole Herrington

                                                                   Jeremy Becker