Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! • Northbrook Theatre by Northbrook Park District

Thank you to our NTYA Sponsor

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director

Music Director .

Choreographer

Production Stage Manager

Lighting and Sound Designer

Set Designer

Properties Designer

Costume Designer

Jeff Mills

David Zizic

Katie Denten

Jessica Greenhoe*

Kurt Ottinger

Kyle Gyondla

Dave Wisniewski

Sara Morrison

*Member of Actors’ Equity, the Professional Union of Actors and Stage Managers

NORTHBROOK PARK DISTRICT TEAM

Executive Director

Director of Recreation

Superintendent of Arts and Recreation

Visual & Performing Arts Manager

Leisure Center Facility Supervisor

Technical Theatre Specialist

Performing Arts Coordinator

Costume Coordinator

Chris Leiner

Eileen Loftus

Erin Sweet

Drew Kambach

Melanie Alexander

Kyle Gyondla

David Zizic

Sara Morrison

Northbrook Theatre for Young Audiences presents

Script by Mo Willems & Mr. Warburton

Lyrics by Mo Willems

Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma

Based on the book “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” by Mo Willems

Reminder: The use of cameras (with and without flash) and recording devices is prohibited by state and federal laws

MUSICAL NUMBERS

I Never Get to Do Anything Pigeon

Bus Driver Bus Driver, Pigeon

What Could Have Been Pigeon, Ducklings, Bus

Let Me Drive the Bus? Pigeon, Bus Driver, Passengers

The Takeaway Pigeon

Panic at the Bus Stop! Bus Driver, Passengers

I’m Broken Pigeon, Bus Driver

Keep Flappin Pigeon, Bus Driver, Passengers

Do My Thing Pigeon

Can I Fly the Plane? Pigeon, Audience, All

Bows and Adulations

CAST

Jeffrey Todd Parrott*

Kyra Leigh*

Brady Magruder

Laura Murillo Hart

Tony Carter*

Katie Snyder

Melissa Crabtree

Aaron Cappello

All

Actor 1, The Pigeon

Actor 2, Bus Driver

Actor 3, Hot Dog Vendor, Business Man, Duckling, Airplane Engine

.Actor 4, Duckling, The Bus Engine, Bus Driver’s Mom, Puppy

.Actor 5, City Worker, Teenager, Duckling

Actor 6, Old Lady, Duckling

Understudy

*Member of Actors’ Equity, the Professional Union of Actors and Stage Managers

CAST & PRODUCTION BIOS

Jeffrey Todd Parrott* is excited to make his Northbrook Theatre debut! Some of his regional credits include The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs (Big Bad Wolf), Rapunzel! (The Apprentice), and the rolling worldpremiere of A Night in New Orleans: A Magic Treehouse Adventure (Jack) at Orlando Shakespeare Theater; Big River (Huck Finn) at Mad Cow Theater; Ghost the Musical (Carl) at Peninsula Players; The Mousetrap (Detective Trotter) at St. Michael’s Playhouse; and South Pacific (Professor) at Asolo Rep. He holds a BFA in Music Theatre from Elon University, and an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. He is a proud member of AEA and is represented by Stewart Talent. He wishes to thank Jeff for this opportunity, and his friends and family for their unending support.

Kyra Leigh* is thrilled to be making her debut with Northbrook Theatre! Acting credits include Grease (Drury Lane Theatre); Nunsense (Porchlight Revisits series); The Things I Could Never Tell Steven (American debut at PrideArts); Love Serving Love (Valiant Theatre); and Sundown, Yellow Moon (Raven Theatre). She’s also active as a composer and musician. Music directing credits include La Cage Aux Folles (Music Theatre Works with Ginger Minj); and Head Over Heels (Kokandy Productions). Represented by DDO, she’s very passionate about LGBTQ+ visibility in music and theatre. “Much love to Ryan and the cats!”

Brady Magruder is excited to be making his Chicagoland theatre debut with NTYA! He is originally from Spokane, WA, was raised in community musical theatre, and was nominated at the 2019 Jimmy Awards for playing Edward Bloom in Big Fish: The Musical. He is a recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, where he performed in A Wrinkle in Time (Dr. Murry); Eurydice (Big Stone); Tartuffe (Damis); and Our Lady of 121st St. (Father Lux). He’d like to thank elementary school choir and drama teachers for enlivening students with the magic of theatre, song, and dance—because without our teachers, he wouldn’t be here today. Instagram @bradymagruder | www.bradymagruder.com

Laura Murillo Hart is a Colombian-American actor, musician and mover with a love for all things beautiful and absurd in this world. She is a graduate of both The Theatre School at DePaul’s BFA Acting program and Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre’s MFA program. Some of Laura’s recent theater credits include Refuge at Theo Ubique and As the World Rises and Falls at The Den Theatre, a show she cocreated and performed in. Laura is passionate about creating work that bends reality and frees the mind to play. Instagram @lauramurillohart

Tony Carter* is excited to be making his Northbrook Theatre debut! His Chicago credits include Lumiere in Beauty & the Beast (Drury Lane); Oliver in As You Like it and Kowalski in Madagascar (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Hilaire in Can-Can (Porchlight Music Theatre); Carl in Ghost (Theatre at the Center); Guys & Dolls (Music Theatre Works); Demetrius in Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Lucentio in Shrewd (First Folio Theatre). He was most recently seen in Chicago Children’s Theatre’s production of Mesmerized! He has also worked across the country at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, California Theatre Center, Pickleville Playhouse, and the Utah Festival Opera. You can follow him (and his ongoing quest to eat his own body weight in Nutella) on Instagram @tonyscarter.

Katie Snyder is so excited to be back performing on the first stage she ever stepped on! Katie is a New York based actor from Northbrook, Illinois and graduated with a BFA from Western Michigan University. Previous productions include Junie B. Jones, All Shook Up, The Producers and Mamma Mia!

Melissa Crabtree (She/Her) is an Actor, Director and Theatrical Illustrator who lives for making audiences – and all those around her –laugh. She’s worked most recently as Lucy/Mrs. T/Bad Idea Bear (Avenue Q, Music Theater Works); Fräulein Kost (Cabaret, Metropolis PAC); Tanya (Mamma Mia, Dominican University – Guest Artist); and possibly most famously as Mrs. Claus for 10 years at Navy Pier’s Winter Wonderfest Other favorite Chicago credits include Mabel (Pirates of Penzance, Tall Ship Windy); Nellie (South Pacific, Music On Stage); Domina (A Funny Thing…Forum, Metropolis PAC); and Lina Lemont (Singin’ in the Rain). Outside of performing, Melissa also directs, choreographs, and lighting designs for many local theater companies, notably: The Prairie Center for the Arts (The SpongeBob Musical) and EDGE of Orion (1776, Peter & the Starcatcher) and owns the theatrical stationery company An Actor Plans. www.melissacrabtreeactor.com | @melissa.m.crabtree

Aaron Cappello is so excited to be making his Northbrook Theatre debut! He received his BFA in Musical Theatre from Western Michigan University. Some favorite roles include Basilius (Head Over Heels); J. Pierrepont Finch (How to Succeed); and Rick Taylor (Bat Boy). Aaron has some exciting news coming up! Stay tuned on Instagram @aaroncappello. Enjoy the show!

Jeff Mills (Director) is an award winning director, actor, musician, and all around theatre-maker based in Chicago. He’s been directing, writing and performing with his own company Proboscis Theatre for over twelve years. With Proboscis he directed and co-created Piezoelectric Love: The (half) Life of Marie Curie (2011); La La La Strada (2013); Strap-on (2014); The Queens of Infinite Space (2021); and House of Circe (2022). His Theatre for Young Audiences credits include OM: An Indian Tale of Good and Evil (2009); Got Homer? (2010); and The Odyssey (2004). Jeff was co-founder of Door Shakespeare in Bailey’s Harbor WI, where he directed Comedy of Errors (1995). With Shakespeare Santa Barbara, Jeff directed Twelfth Night and Much Ado about Nothing (2011/2012). Jeff currently teaches movement for actors at the Theatre School at DePaul University where he was Artistic Director of Chicago Playworks, directing The Cat in the Hat (2018) and A Wrinkle in Time (2023). Jeff’s next production with Proboscis is TEMPEST, which will be a part of the Ol’Factory Festival of Physical Theatre from December 7–17 at City Lit and Redtwist Theatres in Chicago

David Zizic (Music Director) is delighted to return to NTYA after music directing many previous productions. David currently works at Northbrook Theatre as music director and Performing Arts Coordinator. David is the music director/accompanist at The Historic Bethany Union Church of Chicago. Other performing and music directing credits include shows with Citadel Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Theatre at the Center, Music Theatre Works, Imagination Theatre, Bailiwick and Illinois Theatre Center.

Katie Denten (Choreographer) is so excited to be part of NTYA company with Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Katie currently works for the Northbrook Theatre as a choreographer and director. She has worked with the Kipling Theater Workshop and Columbia College dance program. She has also choreographed and taught at New Trier High School. Performing credits include Heather Hoffman dancers, Janice Skidmore Dance Company and Starlight Theater at the Wallace Bowl. Katie would like to thank her husband Ted for his continuous support!

Jessica Greenhoe* (Stage Manager) is a Stage Manager based out of southern Wisconsin and is very excited to be debuting at Northbrook Park District with Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. Jessica has been involved with theatre since elementary school and is now a proud professional Stage Manager. She would like to thank her family who has been her number one supporter and fans. She would like to thank the team at Northbrook Theatre for trusting her with this process. Some of her previous credits include: She Loves Me (Citadel Theatre); The Mousetrap (Citadel Theatre); Airness (Citadel Theatre); and Sister Act (Metropolis Performing Arts Center).

*Member of Actors’ Equity, the Professional Union of Actors and Stage Managers

UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS

Community Theatre presents A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play

Performance:

Saturday, December 16 at 2pm

Tickets on sale starting Friday, December 1 at nbparks .org .

Northbrook Theatre for Young Audiences presents Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed

Performances:

January 27 – February 11

Ticket sales and full performance schedule available starting Friday, December 1 at nbparks .org .

PROFESSIONAL. EXPERIENCED. PASSIONATE.

The Northbrook Park District is proud of our commitment to the Arts . The Northbrook Theatre was created to give Northbrook residents the opportunity to enjoy and participate in quality, local productions . We appreciate your support of the production .

Thank you for watching, and we hope you enjoy the show!

Board of Park Commissioners

Lisa Chalem, President • Michael Goodman, Vice President Mary Ann Chambers • Edward Chao Beverly Kumar • Michael Schyman • David Silverman