SHANE

COWBOYS: A HISTORY

BY TATIANA GODFREY

COWBOYS & WESTERNS

The term “cowboy” might immediately evoke an image of John Wayne alone on a horse, riding valiantly into the sunset. But Westerns, in both movies and novels, have painted an incomplete picture of old west cowboys. The first cowboys appeared in America in the 1500s. They were largely Indigenous American “vaqueros,” who were trained by Spanish colonizers to wrangle cattle on horseback, utilizing expert skill with a lasso.

In the 19th century, enslaved African American men were frequently trained in ranching. When the end of the Civil War saw those formerly enslaved moving north and west, many were able to gain work as cowhands. By the end of the 1800s, about a quarter of all cowboys were Black and an even larger percentage were of Mexican descent. Although the contributions of these cowboys of color are not widely known, some of these cowboys have become as legendary as John Wayne himself.

Famous Black Cowboys

Nat Love was born in 1854 Tennessee and grew up during the Civil War and Reconstruction. After the Civil War, he moved to Texas and worked for 20 years moving cattle. In 1907, he wrote The Life and Adventures of Nat Love Better Known in the Cattle Country as “Deadwood Dick.” In it he tells some tall tales about his adventurous life and many accomplishments, including a run in with “Buffalo” Bill Cody, winning the same horse in two different raffles, and being a horse whisperer. It was these stories that helped Nat go down in history as one of the most famous cowboys.

Bill Pickett was of African American and Cherokee descent. Born to formerly enslaved parents in 1870, the family moved to Texas when he was 18 years old. Pickett and his brothers opened a cowboy service, where they would break horses, move herds, and provide other ranching services. It was doing this work that Bill invented “bulldogging,” the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns and wrestling

JUAN ARTURO (HE/HIM) - OLDER BOB/BOBBY STARRETT

Juan is overjoyed to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. His New York credits include The Oregon Trail (WP Theater); The Rivals (New York Classical Theatre); The Rafa Play (The Flea Theater); Salty, Buffalo Buffalo, Between the Bars (HERE Arts Center) and I Wanna F*ck Like Romeo and Juliet (59E59 Theaters). Regionally, Juan has worked at the Contemporary American Theater Festival and Miami New Drama. On television, he has appeared in Blue Bloods, The Good Wife and Educated Fleas. His film credits include The Invisible Worm, Prometheus Bound, Among the Beasts and Shadows, which was selected for the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. He received his BFA from The Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Juan dedicates this performance to his family, especially his father, who cannot be here to see his son shine. You can follow him on Instagram @juanarturo.

RICARDO CHAVIRA (HE/HIM) - JOE STARRETT

This is Ricardo’s debut at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Theatre credits include Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train (Signature Theatre Company); A Streetcar Named Desire and Enemy of the People (Guthrie Theater) and The Motherfucker with the Hat (The National Theatre London). Television and film credits include Selena: The Series, Glamorous and Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix); Truth Be Told (Apple TV+); and Scandal, Jane the Virgin, Kevin Can Wait and Desperate Housewives (Network Television). For B and T.

WILLIAM D E MERITT (HE/HIM) - SHANE

William is deeply honored to be a part of bringing this legendary story to life. On Broadway, he appeared in The Skin of Our Teeth at Lincoln Center Theater. Other New York credits include The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World (Signature Theatre) and Twelfth Night (Classical Theatre of Harlem). Regionally, William has performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Yale Repertory Theatre and Marin Theatre Company. His film and television credits include The Normal Heart, The Outs, Person of Interest, Law & Order: SVU, NCIS: New Orleans, The Noel Diary and HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant. William will be seen next, in the upcoming film Our Son, starring Luke Evans and Billy Porter. He is also an award-winning audiobook narrator and the creator and star of the New York Innovative Theatre Award-Winning solo show Origin Story. He received a BFA at Marymount Manhattan College and an MFA at Yale School of Drama. He is Adjunct Faculty at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. You can follow William on social media @demeritt. And, in case he ever updates his website, visit williamdemeritt.com. He is ever grateful to his wife, Cassandra for well, just about everything.

GABRIELA FERNANDEZ-COFFEY (SHE/HER) - MARIAN STARRETT

Gabi is pleased to be making her Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. She is ever grateful to continue her collaboration with Karen Zacarías, grown over many years to include work on the world premieres of How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, Destiny of Desire and The Copper Children. Regionally, Gabi has performed with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage, Woolly Mammoth Theatre

Company, Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre and GALA Hispanic Theatre, among others. She is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, a Montessori teacher and a proud Puertoriqueña. May we all find our ways home.

GRANT GOODMAN (HE/HIM) - STARK WILSON/ERNIE WRIGHT

Grant is thrilled to return to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park where he has appeared as Simon Jordan in Alias Grace, Charlie Stewart in Mad River Rising, Aramis in The Three Musketeers and Billy Bones/Captain Smollett in Treasure Island. National Tours include The Merchant of Venice starring F. Murray Abraham. New York credits include King Lear, The Iliad (Lincoln Center Theater); Antony & Cleopatra, The Merchant of Venice (Theatre for a New Audience); Pericles (Red Bull Theater); Three Sisters (Chekhov International Theatre Festival) and Richard II (Pearl Theatre). Regionally, Grant has played leading roles at such theatres as Yale Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Old Globe, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Hartford Stage, Court Theatre (Chicago, Ill.), Cleveland Play House, Pioneer Theatre Company, Phoenix Theatre Company, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, People’s Light (Philadelphia, Pa.), Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Arizona Theatre Company and the Utah, Illinois, Notre Dame, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Austin and Kentucky Shakespeare Festivals among many others. Film and television credits include Chicago Fire, As the World Turns, Sex and the City and Sleepers. Grant received his training from New York University.

TERRY HEMPLEMAN (HE/HIM) - JAKE LEDYARD/SAM GRAFTON

Terry is thrilled to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. His Minneapolis credits include Sweat, A Raisin in the Sun and The Parchment Hour (Guthrie Theater); Anon(ymous) and Huck Finn (Children’s Theater Company); Annapurna, Fool for Love and Long Day’s Journey into Night (Jungle Theater); and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Gem of the Ocean (Penumbra Theatre). Regionally, he has appeared in Side Man and A Doll’s House (Madison Repertory Theatre); The Pavilion (Sacramento Theater Company) and Out! at the Philadelphia Theater Company. As a director, his credits include Grace and The Pavilion at Yellow Tree Theater. His film work includes Dear White People, Factotum, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Mall Rats. He was named “Best Actor” in the Twin Cities for the year 2003 by City Pages. Terry studied theatre as an undergrad at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

SHAYNA JACKSON (SHE/HER) - WINONA

Shayna is thrilled to be making her Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. Regional credits include Distant Thunder at The Ware Center in Lancaster, Pa. and Men on Boats at Tantrum Theater in Athens, OH. Television credits include Walker: Independence and New Amsterdam. Shayna has a degree in Vocal Performance from Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Calif. Shayna gives every thanks to God, to her wonderful husband and her family. You can follow her on Instagram @Cheznah.

BILL M c CALLUM (HE/HIM) - LUKE FLETCHER

Bill is thrilled to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. Based in Minneapolis, Minn., Bill has worked regionally at the Goodman Theatre, American Players Theatre (seven-season company member) and in theatres throughout the Twin Cities, including over 50 productions at the Guthrie Theater. Production favorites include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (with Patrick Stewart and Mercedes Ruhl), the national tour of Othello as Iago, Death of a Salesman (Dublin Theater Festival) and Claudia Rankine’s The White Card at the legendary Penumbra Theatre. His film and television credits include David Lynch’s The Straight Story, Wilson (with Woody Harrelson), Joe Somebody (with Tim Allen) and the ABC television series In an Instant. If you are so inclined, follow Bill on instagram @willimac3 (but don’t hold your breath for posts…).

MIKELL SAPP (HE/HIM) - CHRIS JOHNSON

Mikell is thrilled to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. He is a native of Phenix City, Ala., and a proud graduate of Alabama State University. His theatre credits include The Ballad of Emmett Till (Penumbra Theatre), Brokeology (Pillsbury House Theatre), Skeleton Crew (Yellow Tree Theatre), The Snowy Day (Children’s Theatre Company) and The Agitators (Park Square Theatre). He spends most of his time in the Twins Cities of Minnesota, but he’s grateful and humbled to be here. Mikell dedicates his performance to his family and friends.

TOMMY THAMS (HE/HIM) - ENSEMBLE

Tommy is thrilled to be making his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut. He is a senior at Wright State University where he is studying for a BFA in Musical Theatre. He is elated that he is making his professional debut with the Playhouse and looks forward to what this relationship will bring in the future. Come see him play Cliff in Wright State’s production of Cabaret in the fall. He would like to thank the faculty at Wright State for teaching him everything he knows and his family for supporting him along the way. Follow him on Instagram @tommythams1 to keep up with his developing career.

CHRISTOPHER WELLS (HE/HIM) - ENSEMBLE

Christopher is thrilled to be returning to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for a fourth time! Most recently, he was a Swing for A Chorus Line. He first worked with the Playhouse playing Peter Cratchit in A Christmas Carol as well as various roles in History of Invulnerability. Growing up in Cincinnati, he has always dreamed of performing at all the largest houses downtown. He received his BFA from Wright State University, as well as a BA in French. Christopher thanks his family and close friends for their constant support and his former professors and instructors for getting him to this point. Regional Credits include A Chorus Line (Playhouse); Lifespan of a Fact (Falcon Theatre); A Christmas Carol, On the Town, Elf: The Musical (Covedale Center for the Performing Arts); Carousel, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Warsaw Federal Incline Theater); Footloose (LaComedia Dinner Theatre); CLUE: The Musical, Billy Elliott, Matilda, Romance Romance and AIDA: The Musical (Weathervane Playhouse).

KAREN ZACARÍAS (SHE/ELLA) - PLAYWRIGHT

Karen was recently hailed by American Theater Magazine as “one of the most produced playwrights in the US.” She is thrilled to be returning to the Playhouse where she has had the thrill of seeing productions of her plays including Destiny of Desire, Native Gardens and The Book Club Play. Other plays include The Copper Children, Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, and adaptations of Just Like Us, The Age of Innocence, Into the Beautiful North, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent and a bilingual Romeo y Juliet. She is the core founder of Latinx Theatre Commons, a large national organization of artists seeking to update the American narrative with the stories of Latinx, and the founder of the award-winning Young Playwrights’ Theater. Karen was voted a 2019 Washingtonian of the Year; awarded the 2019 Sine Fellowship at the American University School of Public Policy; received the 2019 Lee Reynolds Award for “social, cultural, or political change with theater” and the 2019 Medallion by the Children’s Theater Foundation. She is a 2021 recipient of the United Artists Fellowship. Karen lives in Washington, DC with her husband and three children. Represented by the Gersh Agency and published by Concord Theatricals, Dramatic Publishing and has a collection of plays with Oberon Books. Visit www.karenzacarias.com.

BLAKE ROBISON (HE/HIM) - DIRECTOR

Blake is the Osborn Family Producing Artistic Director of Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Now in his 11th season, he was honored to inaugurate our new theatre facility this spring by directing A Chorus Line. His Playhouse directing includes the world premiere of Karen Zacarías’ hugely popular comedy Native Gardens, Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace, Stephen King’s Misery, Shakespeare in Love, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Peter and the Starcatcher, Pride and Prejudice, Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, The Last Wide Open, 4000 Miles, The Book Club Play, Abigail/1702 and Mad River Rising. Regional credits include productions at the Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Utah Shakespeare Festival, PlayMaker’s Repertory Company, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Round House Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, National Shakespeare Company and Vermont Stage. Internationally, he directed the Tennessee Williams classic Summer and Smoke at English Theatre Berlin and has worked several times at the renowned Avignon Festival in France. Blake served on the Board of the Theatre Communications Group for six years. He was named a finalist for the 2019 Zelda Fichandler Award from the SDC Foundation honoring extraordinary work in the regional theatre.

LEX LIANG (HE/HIM) - SET DESIGNER

Previous credits for the Playhouse include costume design for Baskerville and Once on This Island. Lex has been involved in over 100 productions (international and national tours, New York City and off-Broadway) including Judy Gold’s Yes, I Can Say That!, currently playing at Primary Stages and directed by BD Wong. Other recent work includes the world premieres of Emma, Mr. Holland’s Opus, The Tattooed Lady and May We All. Regional theatre credits include Actor’s Theatre Louisville, Alliance Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Dallas Theatre Center, Geva Theatre Center, Guthrie Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, PlayMaker’s Repertory Company, Portland Center Stage, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Syracuse Stage and Woolly Mammoth Theatre, among others. Lex is the founder and principal of LDC Design Associates, the experiential event design and production company in NYC. Recent projects and clients include Absolut Vodka, Operation Smile, Ubuntu Pathways, Invesco, The Tony Awards Gala, New York Fashion Week, New York Wine and Food

Festival, William Hill Wine and others. Visit www.LexLiang.com and www.LDCdesign.com. Follow him on Instagram @Lex924.

TREVOR BOWEN (HE/HIM) - COSTUME DESIGNER

Trevor is excited to be a part of the team for Shane. Regional credits include Hamlet, We Are Proud to Present, Choir Boy (Guthrie Theater); Public Love (Walker Art Center); Blacklight re:Search part one and two (Cowles Center); Albert Herring, The Fix (Minnesota Opera); In The Heights (Ordway Center for the Performing Arts); An American Tail, Corduroy, Something Happened in Our Town, Last Stop on Market Street and Spamtown U.S.A. (Children’s Theatre Company); Weathering, Girl Shakes Loose (Penumbra Theatre); BBQ, An Octoroon, Safe at Home (Mixed Blood Theatre); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (The Jungle Theater); The Gospel of Lovingkindness and Blood Knot (Pillsbury House Theatre); The Color Purple (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); The Watsons Go to Birmingham, The Day You Begin (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts); Ride the Cyclone (Arena Stage); pen/man/ship (Contemporary American Theatre Festival); Black Beauty, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (Seattle Children’s Theatre); Ragtime (5th Avenue Theatre); Sweat (Asolo Repertory Theatre); BLKS, True West (Steppenwolf Theatre); The Knock (Glimmerglass Festival); Moliere’s Turns 400 (French Institute Alliance Française); All is Calm (Sheen Center) and Fellow Travelers, Champion, Bluebeard’s Castle/Four Songs (Boston Lyric Opera). Visit www.trevorbowendesign.com.

PABLO SANTIAGO (HE/HIM) - LIGHTING DESIGNER

Pablo is pleased to be back at Cincinnati Playhouse in The Park after his debut in 2020 with Destiny of Desire. He is a live performance and digital film lighting designer. Winner of the Richard Sherwood Award, Stage Raw Award, and multiple Ovation Award Nominations. Pablo’s designs aim to find evocative images that embody the emotional moment of the show and images that can spark the imagination of the audience to worlds beyond the stage. Pablo has worked at Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Omaha, Boston Lyric Opera, Detroit Opera House, Opera Philadelphia, Long Beach Opera, Prototype Festival, The Industry, Opera Columbus, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Teatro Municipal São Paulo Brazil, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage DC, BAM Harvey Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles Theatre Center, South Coast Repertory, The Broad, Annenberg Center for Photography, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Ensemble Theatre Company Santa Barbara, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Broad Theater, REDCAT Theater and Hollywood Bowl. Visit pablosantiagodesign.com and follow him on Instagram @pablosdesign.

MATTHEW M. NIELSON (HE/HIM) - SOUND DESIGNER AND COMPOSER

Matthew made his Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park debut in 2012 with The Three Musketeers and has since returned for Abigail/1702, The Book Club Play, 4000 Miles, Sherlock Holmes, Peter and the Starcatcher, Sex with Strangers, Mad River Rising, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Summerland, Treasure Island, Misery, The Last Wide Open and Two Trains Running. Off-Broadway credits include The Public Theater/NYSF, Lincoln Center Theater and 59E59 Theaters. Regional credits include Denver Center

Theatre Company, Portland Center Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Barrington Stage, Round House Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Studio Theatre, Theater Alliance, Olney Theatre and Contemporary American Theater Festival. Film and television credits include Death in Time, Elbow Grease, Blue, Epix Drive-In, From Hell to Here and Too Like the Lightning. Matthew is the creator of the audio drama series Troublesome Gap. He has won several awards for his work in the Washington, DC area, regionally and in film. He is currently enrolled in the Songwriting and Music Production program with the Berklee College of Music Online. Samples can be heard online at CuriousMusic.com.

JOCELYN CLARKE (HE/HIM) - DRAMATURG

Jocelyn is a dramaturg for stage and screen. He is Senior Dramaturg at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. He is a writer/supervising producer on P-Valley, Katori Hall’s acclaimed TV series. He is also executive story editor of the BBC/RTE TV series Young Offenders. He was Theatre Advisor to the Arts Council of Ireland for ten years, and Literary Manager of the Abbey, Ireland’s national theatre. Jocelyn has worked as a dramaturg with writers such as Katori Hall, Taylor Mac, Lydia Diamond, Abhishek Majumdar, Eduardo Machado, Lisa Kron, Tazewell Thompson, Carl Hancock Rux, Kenneth Lin, Nathan Alan Davis, Mary Kathryn Nagle, and Karen Zacarías. He has written several plays for Anne Bogart and the SITI Company — including Bob, Room, Score, Chess Match No. 5, and Trojan Women. He wrote a new book for Liz Swados’ musical The Beautiful Lady, which opened at LaMaMa in New York in May.

VANESSA SEVERO (SHE/HER) - MOVEMENT DIRECTOR

Vanessa is thrilled to be returning to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Vanessa’s previous Playhouse credits include Frida...A Self Portrait (2020 Kilroys List). Movement directing credits include Equus, Milking Christmas, The Death of Cupid (The Living Room Theater); Children of Eden, Icarus Flew (Spinning Tree Theatre); The Wiz (The Coterie Theatre); Dance Nation (Unicorn Theatre) and What’s Your Warrior (US ARMY National). Directing credits include The Lifespan of a Fact (Unicorn Theatre); Nocturne and Milking Christmas (The Living Room Theatre); The Country of the Blind and Shipwrecked! (Spinning Tree Theatre), Antigonick, Constellations and Blood Wedding (University of Kansas City Missouri-Graduate Program). Vanessa is the recipient of the 11th Round of the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowships 2017. She is certified in Suzuki Method and Viewpoints under the instruction of Ellen Lauren of the SITI company. AEA Member. Visit VanessaSevero.com.

RICK SORDELET (HE/HIM) - FIGHT DIRECTOR

Rick and his sons, Christian Kelly-Sordelet and Collin Kelly-Sordelet created www.SordeletInc.com, a Native-owned action movement company with 35 years of experience. They have done 80 Broadway productions including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast , Wolf Hall, Waiting for Godot , Tina – The Tina Turner Musical and Jesus Christ Superstar. National Tours with 52 first-class productions worldwide including Beauty and the Beast (UK Tour and West End production), soon to Broadway, as well as many other national tours. Opera, resident fight/intimacy directors for Santa Fe Opera since 2015, with many productions at The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala Opera House, The Royal Opera House and many more. Films credits include The Game Plan (starring

Dwayne Johnson), Dan in Real Life (starring Steve Carell) Ben is Back (starring Julia Roberts), Respect (starring Jennifer Hudson), One True Loves (starring Simu Lim) and Blue Light, including numerous television productions. They teach at William Esper Studio, New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, HB Studio, CUNY Harlem, Montclair State and 22 years at Yale School of Drama. Rick is a board member for Red Bull Theater and runs a publishing company for the first-time writer called www.Sordeletink.com.

CHRISTIAN KELLY-SORDELET - FIGHT DIRECTOR

Christian is a professional fight director and stunt coordinator. Most recent works include stunt coordinating the movie One True Loves and Blue Light and the Broadway and national tour productions of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical. Christian also won a Jeff Award for his fights in Athena in Chicago. Follow Christian on social media @cksrex or his company @sordeletinc. Visit www.sordeletinc.com.

STEPHANIE KLAPPER, CSA (SHE/HER) - CASTING DIRECTOR

See page 17.

BRANDON T. HOLMES (HE/HIM) - STAGE MANAGER

Brandon is thrilled to return to Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for a fourth season. Playhouse credits include the world premiere of The West End, A Christmas Carol, Steel Magnolias, The Lion and The Chinese Lady. For eight seasons, he was the Production Stage Manager for Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati where he managed over 40 productions. Highlights with ETC include Fun Home, The Mountaintop, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Iliad, Grounded, Violet, Pipeline, The Humans, Skeleton Crew and Hands on a Hardbody. During the summer, he is the Production Stage Manager for The Lexington Theatre Company where he has stage managed productions of Chicago, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Legally Blonde, West Side Story and Newsies. Other regional credits include productions of Hello, Dolly!, The Drowsy Chaperone and Side By Side by Sondheim (LOOK Musical Theatre); Red, White & Broadway, Golden: MTWichita at 50 (Music Theatre Wichita); and workshops with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Cleveland Play House. Brandon is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Thank you to his family and his husband, A.J, for their continued love and support.

MARY KATHRYN FLYNT (SHE/HER) - ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Mary Kathryn is thrilled to be back at the Playhouse after working on A Chorus Line this season. Her Broadway credits include Once on This Island; Something Rotten!; Les Misérables; Annie; The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Billy Elliot: The Musical; The Seafarer; Pygmalion; Journey’s End; Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical; and Monty Python’s Spamalot. Her off-Broadway credits with the Atlantic Theatre Company include The Penitent, The Night Alive and Port Authority. Her national tours and regional credits include Billy Elliot: The Musical and Maybe Happy Ending (Alliance Theatre). She would like to thank her family: Adam, Sam, Sarah, Maribee, Suzy and Mom for making working on this show a reality. Jeremiah 29:11.

GUTHRIE THEATER - CO-PRODUCER

The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, celebrating 60 years of artistic excellence during its 2022–2023 Season. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie has continued its dedication to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has set a national standard for excellence in the field and served the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms, restaurants and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org.

Additional Production Staff

Scenic Artist Taylor Helms

Casting Assistants Emma Balk, Hershey Vazquez-Millner

Lakota Language/Cultural Consultant Tipiziwin Tolman