Creative Team Biographies

CREATIVE TEAM BIOS

JACK COLE ............

(Asst. Costume Designer) You never forget your first time. This is my first time designing for the Blackburn Stage. It has been a great experience to work with this very funny cast, extremely talented crew, and my good friend Mary Wallace: thanks for saying you would come down from D.C. to do this show. Break a leg!

ALIVIA CROSS.............

(Stage Manager) is a scenic artist and stage manager from Maine who recently moved to the Naples area. Alivia joined The Naples Players this season, first as an assistant stage manager for Calendar Girls, and is pleased to be returning for Boeing Boeing. As a recent graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Technical Theatre, she is proud to be back in the theatre industry after a year-long reprieve. In addition to stage managing, Alivia enjoys volunteering in the scene shop at TNP.

JAMES DUGGAN.........

(Director) has directing credits including Erasure and Playwriting 101 for TNP’s Readers Theatre and assistant directing These Shining Lives. Acting credits include: Bernard/Don’t Dress for Dinner, Roger and Omar/Maple and Vine, Mr. Hilton/Coney Island Christmas, Ellard/The Foreigner, and Garry and Roger/Noises Off. James studied acting with the New Theatre Conservatory in Boston and Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts. Some of his favorite roles include: Max/Lend Me A Tenor, Mike Talman/Wait Until Dark, Chris Keller/All My Sons, Jimmy Zoole/P.S. Your Cat Is Dead, and Tartuffe/Tartuffe. James would like to thank everyone involved in this production and TNP for their continuous support.

JILLIAN FEIGENBLAT ......

(Properties) is a recent graduate from Florida Atlantic University with her BFA in theatrical technology and design. She just started her journey with The Naples Players as their scenic/ props intern for the year. She is very excited to learn and is looking forward to working and growing as an artist in the upcoming seasons. She is responsible for all of the props that you are about to see throughout this performance. Please enjoy!

NANCY HAYER .............

(Asst. Stage Manager) While intending to buy a ticket for The Great Gatsby, Nancy decided to volunteer instead. She has served as backstage run crew for The Great Gatsby and She Loves Me, dresser for Making God Laugh, and assistant stage manager for Yours, Truly and Calendar Girls.

JACOB MYNY ...............

(Co-Sound Designer) is from Sterling Heights, MI. A recent graduate from Western Michigan University, he studied Theatre: Design and Technical Production with a focus in sound and lighting design. Jacob designed Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR, The Wizard of Oz, and was the assistant sound designer for The Wedding Singer.

TODD POTTER ...............

(Scenic Designer) Proper attire for Bird Watching? It’s on you, my bird-curious friend, to change the tide. You don’t need to wear zipoff pants: you can just wear pants or shorts. You don’t need to wear a bucket hat with gills and special mosquito repellent fibers: you can just wear a hat. You don’t need to wear a vest with a million pockets: you can just wear, like, literally anything. I’m just saying that it’s okay not to buy into not-so-subliminal messages from the gear industry that tell you that you need to buy certain things to be a better birder. If it’s going to be hot out, wear shorts and bring lots of water and sunscreen. If you’re going to get muddy, wear boots. It really doesn’t need to get any more simple than that. This design is for Cairo the “Pupperooni”—I miss you every day, little girl.

JERRY RANNOW............

(Comedic Liaison) Encouraged by producer Norman Lear, Jerry began a 30-year Hollywood career as a writer-producer on Welcome Back, Kotter; Happy Days; All in the Family; Room 222; The Love Boat; Love, American Style; Head of the Class; and Eight Is Enough; a total of over 200 produced teleplays. He has won exclusive development contracts with the ABC Network, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Studios and 20th Century Fox. Jerry is the author of four comedy novels and his book, Writing Television Comedy, was an educational bestseller. He has taught humor writing at the University of Wisconsin, Carthage College, DePaul University and the USC Film School. Jerry is a lifetime member of the Writers Guild of America, and he loves working with the talented people at The Naples Players.

ROSEANN RUGGIERO ......

(Assistant Director) is a long-time community theatre director in her home state of New Jersey. Moving to Naples in 2019 brought her to TNP as an actress and now an Assistant Director. Previously she has directed Master Class, Disenchanted, The Heidi Chronicles, 1776, That Championship Season, The Tale Of The Allergist’s Wife, The Sisters Rosensweig, Collected Stories, The World Goes ‘Round, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Women Of Manhattan, Shows For Days, A Grand Night For Singing, and an award-winning production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, among others. Roseann would like to thank the many friends and family who have supported her creative journey and taught her through their shared experiences, both onstage and off.

MANDA SMITH ...............

(Deck Manager) is proud to be part of the stage management team for this beautiful production of Boeing Boeing. Born in London, Manda worked during high school and college as a model/actor before moving to the US to start a career in advertising and design. This morphed into a love of home design, and she became a serial house flipper. Manda returned to her theatre roots in 2005 when she started as Assistant Choreographer for the summer KidzAct shows, and now works on all shows as Deck Manager for TNP. Enjoy the show!

BRADLEY VAN HOUTEN ...

(Sound Designer) earned his bachelor’s degree in Theatre: Design & Technical Production and Theatre: Stage Management from Western Michigan University. After having the pleasure of working Off-Broadway on Soul Doctor and internationally at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Brad joined TNP in 2013. He has worked on well over 100 productions since then and looks forward to many more. Select previous credits include The Wedding Singer, Footloose, Mamma Mia!, Peter and the Starcatcher, Chicago, Maple and Vine, She Kills Monsters, Sister Act, The Rocky Horror Show, and The 39 Steps.

CRAIG WALCK ..............

(Lighting Designer) After initially working for TNP from 2000-2006, Craig returned to TNP in 2011 after a five-year absence, during which he worked for Columbia University, The All-Stars Project, and other theatrical groups in New York City from 2006-2008. He then oversaw the completion of construction, opening, and first two years of operation of the Miramar Cultural Center in Miramar, FL from 2008-2011. Overall, Craig has designed the lighting for over 150 TNP productions. Originally from Niagara Falls, N.Y., and a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, he once again calls Naples his home with his wife, Jessica, and their kids (dogs) Ziggy, Twoey, and Roscoe.

JESSICA WALCK ..........

(Director) has been an active member of The Naples Players since 2004 and now serves as the organization’s Associate Artistic Director. Recent TNP directing credits include Making God Laugh, Escanaba in da Moonlight, Don’t Dress for Dinner and the World Premiere production of June & Jason’s Survival Guide to Divorce. Recent KidzAct directing credits are Disney’s The Little Mermaid JR, Disney’s The Descendants, You Can’t Take It With You, Junie B. Jones the Musical JR, and the virtual production of Pride and Prejudice. She recently joined the faculty of the New England Music Camp for their summer musical theatre intensive in August. Jessica is a proud graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in NYC.

MARY WALLACE ...........

(Costume Designer) has enjoyed designing and sewing since she was a little girl as her love of theatre was also emerging. After graduating with a BA in Theatre, she met her husband Forrest whilst doing summer stock. They both kept theatre on the back-burner while they raised a large family and several dogs. Her daughters kept her connected to theatre, sewing costumes for the numerous productions in which they participated. After designing costumes at The Naples Players for a number of years, she and her husband relocated to Virginia to be near family (can’t miss those grandbabies growing up!). She co-designed A Christmas Carol and Moonlight and Magnolias for Little Theatre of Alexandria. Her favorite design credits are Shout!, Ghostwriter, The Drowsy Chaperone, My Fair Lady, Something’s Afoot, and The Music Man. It is a delight to be back in Naples as a Guest Designer, working with such a talented, dedicated crew of volunteers, and the wonderful staff at TNP. A special thanks to Dot and Mark for their hospitality and support - you make it feel like home - and to her wonderful husband and children for their love and encouragement. Couldn’t do it without you!