Post Playhouse

Aubrey Anderson is a freshman attending Sterling college in Central Kansas. She is majoring in Theater and has spent her year participating in shows and costuming. Since enrolling, Aubrey was seen in Newsies, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, and Legally Blonde. She also was Wardrobe manager for Book of Will. She hopes to do costuming professionally and is so excited to be working with an amazing theater all summer.

Dewayne Barrett is an accomplished actor, singer, dancer, teacher, and director/choreographer whose career has taken him all around the world. This is Dewayne’s 7th year with the Post Playhouse and serves as Artistic Director. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he began dancing at a very early age and danced with both the Georgia Ballet Company and The Atlanta Jazz Theatre. He then moved to NYC where he began even more training. As a performer he has performed all over the country in leading roles such as Rum Tum Tugger in Cats, Bobby in A Chorus Line, Rooster in Annie, Pat Gilbert in State Fair, Riff in West Side Story and Don Lockwood in Singing in the Rain. Dewayne sailed around the world on cruise ships both as a singer/dancer and as director/choreographer for many top line cruise lines including; Royal Viking Line, SilverSea, Cunard, Saga and Asuka Japanese Line. Dewayne has taught at Dance Masters of Wisconsin and taught many musical theatre master classes across the United States. He is a director/choreographer/teacher at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, China, where he opened Oklahoma! and In the Heights in Mandarin. He has choreographed for national tours, theme parks, dinner theatres, regional and community theatres, high schools, music videos, movies and parades.

Cody was introduced to the bass at age 16 based on the needs of his high school jazz program. This change opened the door to a multitude of performance opportunities. Playing for various jazz ensembles, choirs, and large theater productions, eventually inspired him to continue his education at the Lionel Hampton School of Music. After three years of pursuing a bachelor’s in Music Education, Cody is excited to make a return to his roots as a theater bassist. You can find out more about Cody’s credits and educational materials here: https://www.themodernebassist.com/home

Ross is the ten year old son of Sarah Bannan and TJ Boyd. He is enrolled at Harrison Elementary where he will be in the fifth grade this fall. Ross enjoys hanging out with his family and friends, helping out on his papa’s ranch, and playing video games with his dad. This is Ross’s first time acting in a production and he’s so excited to have the opportunity to try something new.

Pheobe H. Boynton is thrilled to be returning to The Post Playhouse for her seventh season! She is a freelance costume designer originally from Ithaca, NY and currently based out of the Theatreworks costume shop in Colorado Springs, CO. She has a bachelors in art history from Cornell University, and an MFA in theater design and technology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has done work for a wide variety of clients and companies including the Los Angeles Opera, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Kanye West, Kansas City Repertory Theater, The Arvada Center, Theatreworks, Chadron State College, The Unicorn Theater, The Hangar Theatre, Legendary Pictures, YouTube Studios, Relativity Media, Investigation Discovery and Theatrical Arts International. www.pheobebird.com

Scott is excited to be returning to the Post Playhouse. Scott is a Professor of Theatre at Chadron State College (CSC). His responsibilities include Designer (Scenic, Lighting, Sound, Projection), Technical Director and Production Manager for the Theatre Program. In the past he has also directed for CSC Theatre. He has recently assumed the duties of Program Director for Theatre at CSC. As Program Director Scott has started the Artist in Residence program and added a Musical Theatre option to the curriculum at CSC.

Kinleigh is 6 years old and from Crawford NE. She’s the only girl with 3 brothers, so she’s great at dressing up while also being tough. Her whole life she’s been entertaining those around her with her singing and imagination. She’s been involved with the Missoula Children’s Theatre and is excited to take this next step with the Post Playhouse.

David is excited to direct/choreograph Church Basement Ladies for the 4th time! David has a BS in Architecture Design from Georgia Tech and an MFA in Directing Theatre from Minnesota State University, Mankato. David owns and runs Atlanta’s largest caroling company, Like the Dickens (www.LiketheDickens.com). Onstage David’s favorite roles include: Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate, Jesus in Godspell, El Gallo in The Fantasticks, Cat in the Hat in Seussical, Sam in Mamma Mia, Jerry in The Full Monty, Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense Amen!, Dracula in The Kiss of Dracula, and Captain/Hennessey in Dames at Sea. Favorite shows directed include: Guys and Dolls, Ragtime, Forever Plaid, Anything Goes, Oleanna, Reckless, The Rink and Into the Woods. David is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.

Linda is a recent transplant from Omaha to the Crawford area. She has been painting theater sets for 14 years. After being in the art field as an Art Director for various ad agencies, an outdoor billboard company, along with Art Director at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Some of the theatres she has painted for are Kountze Memorial at Mahoney State Park, Lofté Community Theatre, Manley, NE, Lincoln Community Theatre, Opera Omaha and Lincoln University Opera. Now semi retired to paint and produce pottery for her own enjoyment. She lives on a ranch north of Crawford with her faithful, but noisy dog, Beau. On good days she can be found wandering the hills with either camera in hand or watercolor brushes. Linda wishes to thank Dewayne and Tom for bringing her into the Post Playhouse family.

Daniel performed on the Post Playhouse stage in the 2011-2014 seasons. His favorite roles from those bygone years included Jinx in Forever Plaid, Jesus in Godspell, and Tom in Schoolhouse Rock Live. Since then, he’s gotten married and had a son! While you won’t see him on stage this summer, he is helping to keep the box office running smoothly by putting his newfound tech skills to use. He does have a strong passion for performance, but is ever grateful for the opportunity to work for Post Playhouse in any capacity. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife, Amber, his son, Ollie, and his dog, Millie.

Don is so happy to see the Post Playhouse opening its doors after a couple summers of hiatus. Some of Don’s favorite memories were at Post Playhouse: Doing shows like Hank Williams: Lost Highway, and Guys and Dolls, working with Paige Salter. Though they’d only be visiting for a week or so, he and Paige are looking forward to making some new memories with their sons, Marvin and Darby, enjoying the place where Mommy and Daddy first met. Visit dondentonactor.com for more about Don.

Amanda is joining the Post Playhouse community for the first time this summer, and cannot wait to work with the amazing artists and performers this company has to offer. She is a student at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, studying theater, dance, musical performance and creative writing. Amanda has previously designed student directed shows at her university for 2 years for dance and theater such as the dance production Hecatomb, and the play Everybody. She has assisted in costuming and wardrobe for Theatreworks in Colorado Springs. She hopes you enjoy this season, and wants to thank all involved for allowing her to join in these wonderful productions.

Emily is elated to make her Post Playhouse debut with this incredible season! A NYC based actor, Emily has been seen Off-Broadway in Molasses in January and as Rainbow on the national tour of The Rainbow Fish. Select Regional Credits: The Full Monty (Argyle Theatre), The Wizard of Oz (Argyle Theatre), and Christmas at the Palace (Palace Theatre). Emily has been a proud member of SAG-AFTRA since 1997 and holds a BFA Musical Theatre from Millikin University. She is also a certified voice teacher and owns E.D.V.S (Emily Durand Vocal Studio) where she teaches both in person in NYC and virtually. She would like to thank Dewayne and Tom for the opportunity to be on stage again and YOU, the audience, for supporting the arts after a long two-year intermission! “For Uncle Peter.” www.emilydurand.com

Dara is very excited to be back this year at the Post Playhouse! Performing in 2019’s The Music Man was such a joy. She would like to thank everyone at the Post for again giving her such an amazing opportunity and hopes we all have an amazing summer!

Anna is ecstatic to be making her debut here at Post Playhouse! She is a recent graduate of the University at Buffalo, where she received her BFA in Music Theatre. Past credits include A Chorus Line (Diana Morales), Guys and Dolls (Sarah Brown), and The Threepenny Opera (Lucy Brown). She would like to thank her family and friends for their constant patience and support.

Magdalena, 8 years old and soon to be third grader from Chadron, NE is the daughter of Tyler Fisher and Kristin and Brandon Ritterbush. Magdalena has been on the stage before playing a fairy and lost child in Peter Pan Jr. She has also been involved in dance and gymnastics along with being a “little sister” in the Teen and Miss Scholarship pageants. Magdalena enjoys spending time with her friends and family, swimming, listening and singing to music, camping and playing with her dog Jazee. She is also excited to join 4-H this summer and show her cat and dog along with other projects. She is so excited to be part of this cast! Magdalena is very grateful for this opportunity!

Sam is so excited to be back in beautiful Nebraska!! You may remember Sam from the 2019 season in such roles as George Banks in Mary Poppins, Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors and Monsignor O’Hara in Sister Act. Sam would like to take this opportunity to thank Tom, Dewayne, and all the wonderful cast and crew of Post Playhouse’s 2022 season for all their hard work and dedication!

Don Fox (MFA University of Arizona) is a lighting, scenic, and media designer currently serving as the Production Manager and Technical Director at the new Central Kitsap Performing Arts Center in Silverdale, WA. He has been designing various production elements for all of the Post Playhouse shows since 2014. Don is the lighting designer for the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker tours and has taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, The University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and most recently at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Favorite Post productions include Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Sister Act, Shrek, Footloose, Mary Poppins, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Don’s extensive portfolio of work can be seen at www.donfoxdesigns.com.

Riley is thrilled to be making her Post Playhouse debut! She recently graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with her BFA in Musical Theatre. She has appeared in shows such as Carrie (Carrie), Spring Awakening (Martha), The Threepenny Opera (Matthias), Footloose (Rusty), and Big Fish (Ensemble). Riley is incredibly thankful for the love and support of her friends, family, and boyfriend.

Brooke is excited to be involved with Post Playhouse as a remote addition to the dedicated box office staff. She is an actress with experience stretching from the Quad Cities to the south suburbs of Chicago. When she isn’t answering the phones from home, you’ll find her writing freelance scripts and monologues, playing with her new baby boy, and exploring the outdoors. She wishes so much to be able to support our talented cast from the audience! Break legs, everyone!

Tim is the franchise owner of the Chadron H&R Block office, and has been the accountant for the playhouse since 2007. He and his wife Kari have four children, Kaylee, Aaron, Braxton, and Seth. Tim not only serves as the accountant, but also as the treasurer on the playhouse board. He enjoys working with the great talent and staff every summer, and looks forward to many years with the playhouse.

Heather Gonzalez is delighted to join Post Playhouse for her first season. She believes that stories have the power to transform lives, and is passionate about being part of that process, especially as a freelance costume designer. Her design credits include Native Gardens (Warehouse Theatre), La Belle Hélène (Opera at USC), Tick, Tick… Boom! (Trustus Theatre), Metamorphoses, She Kills Monsters, Season of Echoes dance piece, (University of South Carolina) Newsies, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Utah Shakespeare Festival), Julius Caesar (Women of Will), Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Greater Tuna (Neil Simon Festival), and Little Women (Southern Utah University). She received her BA in English Education and Creative Writing with a minor in Theater Arts from Southern Utah University, and her MFA in Costume Design and Technology from the University of South Carolina this spring.

Shanie is excited to return to The Post Playhouse for her second season! Shanie graduated from Chadron State College in the spring of 2020 and is happy to be back working in theatre. You can find her at the box office or helping out in the scenic and costume shops. Some of her favorite things include DnD, reading, herbal tea, and anime.

Bill is excited to be returning for his second season at the Post Playhouse. It was so fun to meet and get to know the performers from around the country. He has appeared in productions from Sheridan County Players and last seen in The Music Man at the Post Playhouse.

Jacob is so excited to be making his Post Playhouse Debut! He is currently based in Bloomington, Indiana where he is studying Musical Theatre at Indiana University. Regional: A Year with Frog and Toad, Closer than Ever. IU Theatre: Company, Bright Star, The Threepenny Opera. Jacob would like to thank all of his mentors at IU and everyone at Post Playhouse for this amazing opportunity. Love to Mom, Dad, Marsha, and all of his friends.

Tommy is emphatically excited to be joining Post Playhouse for the first time this Summer. He is looking forward to his first adventure in Nebraska and can’t wait to see what new friends, memories, and artistic experiences await him. Previous performance credits include Seussical: The Musical (Cedar Summerstock), A Smalltowne Christmas (Stephens College), Into the Woods (Viterbo University), and Fred Scheer’s Lumberjack Show. He received his BFA in Music Theatre from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI.

Dominic Kucera-Even is excited to join the Post Playhouse for his first season. He is ready to take this chance to learn about what goes on behind the scenes and the effort that goes into it. If only to better enjoy and respect the shows he has come to enjoy. When he isn’t working he is an amateur artist and writer with the hopes of pursuing those fields.

Em worked as an actress at Post Playhouse for four seasons spanning from 2009-2019 and is delighted to now be part of the administrative team. You may remember Em in The Wizard of Oz ‘10 (Dorothy), Oklahoma! ‘12 (Laurie), and The Music Man ‘19 (Marian). Em received her BFA in music theatre from Elon University and her MPA in nonprofit management from Indiana University. She has worked in development and advancement for arts organizations around the country since 2015. She looks forward to visiting her home away from home in Nebraska this summer and bringing her husband and daughter (aka theatre lover in the making) along!

Jeffrey was born and raised in West Des Moines, Iowa and currently resides in Pasadena, California. He graduated from Oklahoma City University with a BM in Music Theatre in 2019. Past credits include John Wellington Wells in The Sorcerer, The D’Ysquiths in Gentleman’s Guide, and Major-General Stanley in Pirates of Penzance (all at College Light Opera Company). Jeffrey’s offstage hobbies include calisthenics, board games, and Pokémon battling. jeffreylaughrun.com

Chris is grateful to Tom, Dewayne, and Scott for the opportunity to help bring this full summer stock to life! Chris is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Technical Theatre and Design at Chadron State College. Chris has been involved in backstage work at CSC since the fall of 2019 and has been involved in shows since his days at Norfolk Senior High School.

Abigail is 8 years old and loves gymnastics, being goofy, and spending time with her huge family. She enjoyed playing in Peter Pan Christmas at Hemingford Public Schools.

Delilah is 10 years old and plans on being the President of the United States when she gets older. She has played in Peter Pan Christmas at Hemingford Public Schools. She loves science, history, volleyball, softball and being a silly.

“Yep, my name is Huckleberry.” Huckleberry is 7 and already living up to his name. He loves racing his 4 wheeler jeep all over the fields, and finding the best jumps. He enjoys wrestling, football, and baseball. He is going to be a famous car racer when he grows up.

Post Playhouse debut! Jaden is a New York-based performing artist. He is an Iowa native and graduate of Morningside University in Sioux City, IA. His most recent work was with the Naked Boys Singing Las Vegas residency serving as the swing and dance captain. Other credits include Guys and Dolls and Mamma Mia! both at Venice Theatre in Venice, FL. Visit jadenlux.com for more about Jaden or follow him on Instagram: @Jaden.lux.

Christopher Mason is excited about his first assignments at The Post Playhouse. After 26 years as an air traffic controller, his love of theatre was rekindled through his kids’ involvement in youth theatre in Tucson. So he retired from the government and went to the University of Arizona to earn his degree in Theatre Design and Technology. He currently is pursuing his master’s degree in lighting design at the University of Arizona. Recent lighting credits include Passage, High Fidelity, Next To Normal, [Title of Show], Hot Mikado, and Three Sisters all in Tucson as well as several children’s theatre productions. You can see examples of his work at Designs of Christopher Mason. Huge thanks to my wife and family for all their support.

Jesse McFarland is so excited to be making his Post Playhouse debut! Jesse’s favorite roles have been Man 2 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Roy in Fun Home, and Henry in Henry V. In his free time, he enjoys playing all sorts of video games and mountain biking.

Jesse is so excited to be working with such talented performers and he would like to thank his family for being so supportive of his career in the arts!

Barbi is excited to be making her Post Playhouse debut with this wonderful season. Recent Regional productions: (Pines Dinner Theatre, PA) Home for the Holidays, (Myers Dinner Theatre IN) Moon over Buffalo, (The Broadway Palm FL) Sound of Music (Cornwell’s Dinner Theatre MI) Church Basement Ladies, Savannah Sipping Society, Nana’s Naughty Knickers (Sight and Sound MO) Jonah. Wisconsin Local productions: (6th Street Theatre) Chapatti, (Racine Theatre Guild) A Christmas Carol, 9 to 5, Grease, (Sunset Playhouse) Into the Woods. National tours: Fiddler on the Roof, Two from Galilee. She is so grateful that we can get back to “normal” and entertain audiences that support our passion. She thanks her husband Lonnie for letting her play in Nebraska for the summer” http://barbimcguire.com

Marshall is so excited to help bring this season to life for his Post Playhouse debut! Having just graduated with a bachelors in theatre from Northwestern State University, Marshall is also very excited to begin his professional theatre career with Post Playhouse! He is long from home, but ready to make his mark on the summer 2022 season!

Jenna Lee Moore, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at Southeast Missouri State University, holds a DMA in Vocal Pedagogy and Performance from the Frost School of Music and is an active music director at both the university and professional level. Favorite music directing credits include the world premiere of Unlimited: The Music and Lyrics of Stephen Schwartz, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors, and the New York premiere of An American Hero: A World War II Musical at the New York Musical Festival. In addition to music directing, Jenna is a practicing performer in opera and musical theatre. Recent roles include Rosie in Mamma Mia and Auntie/Bearded Lady in Side Show. She lives in Cape Girardeau with her dog, Spike, and two cats, Pinkerton and Spencer.

Tom Ossowski is an Associate Professor for the BFA Music Theatre Program at FSU and the Producing Artistic Director for the Post Playhouse. At the Post Playhouse, Tom has directed The Music Man, Legally Blonde, Spamalot, A Man of No Importance, All Shook Up, 9 to 5, The Drowsy Chaperone, Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Always…Patsy Cline, and Oklahoma!. FSU directing credits include Beauty & the Beast, All Shook Up, Legally Blonde, Cabaret, and Sweeney Todd. Music directing credits include Cinderella, Guys and Dolls, A Chorus Line, Ragtime, Jesus Christ Superstar, RENT, and Urinetown. Tom directed Into The Woods and The Family for The Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.

Tommy Paduano is thrilled to be making his Post Playhouse debut in their comeback season! Tommy is a recent transplant to NYC by way of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Past credits include: Mark/Dave- Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical (Medora, ND), Edna Turnblad- Hairspray! (BCPA), Nicely-Nicely Johnson- Guys & Dolls (MNM Theater Company), Uncle Ernie- The Who’s: Tommy (Thingamajig Theater Co.), Piragua Guy- In The Heights (Measure for Measure), and Sargeant Garcia- Zorro: The Musical (FOX Latin Music Award for Best Musical 2018). Live free, stay true, be you. Visit tommy-paduano.com for more about Tommy.

Ken is thrilled to be back at the Playhouse for his seventh season! He has designed lighting and projection content all around the country; mostly working in Musical Theatre & Opera. Most notably his lighting and projection work on The Turn of the Screw at Indiana University won the National Opera Associations Division VIII Production Competition Award for 2022. Currently he serves as professor of lighting and projection design (as well as the Production Manager) for the theatre department at University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

He would like to thank Dewayne and Tom for having him back for another fabulous year, and to give thanks to his wife Alexandra for all her support. To see more of his work head to his website at www.KGPhillips.com.

Bristol, an 8th grader at Chadron Middle School, is excited to be back at the Post Playhouse for a third season, this time as Louisa in The Sound of Music. She has previously performed at the Post Playhouse as Gretl in The Sound of Music and Young Fiona in Shrek the Musical. During the school year Bristol stays active with HAL, science fair, volleyball, wrestling, and track. In her free time, she enjoys painting and spending time with her 6 siblings. She would like to thank her family for supporting her in her adventures, Tom and Dewayne for having faith in her, and the local communities for supporting the arts and the Post Playhouse.

Gavin is eleven years old and this is his first season at the Post Playhouse. He is looking forward to meeting new people and singing and dancing with some very special talent here in Crawford, NE. Gavin is very excited to be in the musical “The Sound of Music”. Gavin has participated in several school musicals and plays and enjoys all his time spent on stage! His favorite character played in school was Larry the Cable Guy. When he is not on stage he enjoys painting, gaming, and riding the motorcycle with his dad.

Hope, (She/Her), originally from Oklahoma, is a New York City based performer. She was last seen at The Post Playhouse in 2019 playing the titular role in Mary Poppins. Hope received her BFA in Musical Theatre in Chicago in 2018 and has been performing regionally for years. Some of her post Covid lockdown credits include: “Patsy Cline” in Always…Patsy Cline, “Stephanie” in the developmental production of May We All , a soloist at Feinstein’s 54 Below in NYC, and most recently, “Cleva Chaney” in the world premiere of A Thousand Faces.

Other “pre-Covid” favorites include: “Philoclea” in Head Over Heels, the “Ingenue” in Indecent , and “Wendy” in Peter Pan.

“I am so happy to be back on the Fort with friends, old and new!”

insta: @hopeeschafer

Austin is a versatile multi-instrumentalist with experience in classical, jazz, funk, and musical theatre. Currently pursing his master’s at Northern Arizona University, he is an in-demand collaborative musician and has had the opportunity to perform at such venues as The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, The House Of Blues in New Orleans, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As a concerto soloist, he has performed with the Decatur Symphony Orchestra and the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. He is also the recipient of many competitive awards, including 3rd place at the PASIC International Snare Drum Competition, 2nd place at the ISTMA South Piano Competition and 1st place at the 2021 Hollis Prize Competition. His hobbies include software development and lifting heavy things. Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austinshawmusician/

Kristina Miranda Sloan is joyful to be shaking off the pandemic cobwebs in a glorious return to the Post Playhouse stage. She was last here for the 2016 season as the female swing. She is a graduate of the U of A with a degree in theatre and music and is a member of the international touring swing trio The Manhattan Dolls. Favorite roles have included Magnolia in Show Boat and The Head in Head The Musical! She would like to thank her family and multiple guinea pigs for their enduring love and support and adorable snuggling, respectively.

This is Courtney’s first year at the Post Playhouse. After graduating CSC, Courtney has gotten to work as a Stage Manager for CSC for Little Shop of Horrors and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. She is excited to finally be stepping in to the professional theatre world and learn new ways to be a better Stage Manager/ASM.

Matthew, a 6th grader at Chadron Middle School, is thrilled to join the cast of The Sound of Music as Friedrich, the eldest von Trapp boy. Matthew enjoys singing, acting, gymnastics, basketball, golf, camping, and fishing. Matthew has been on the stage from a young age staring as Santa Clause in the Chadron Primary School Christmas play as well as playing Michael in Peter Pan Jr. Matthew is a member of the Panhandle Gymnastics Advanced Boys Team, the Chadron Middle School Student Council, and Chadron Travel Basketball Team. Matthew is grateful to be part of the cast for The Sound of Music this season and looks forward to working with the wonderful cast and crew.

Ann Stephens has worked as part of the Post Playhouse for many summers, first as a volunteer usher, a volunteer in the concession stand, and for the past several years, she has managed the Box Office. Before retirement, Ann had a long and rewarding career as a classroom teacher and as a public education administrator, working in Texas, Arizona, Idaho and Nebraska before joining Post Playhouse staff. In off-season months, Ann enjoys being with her grandchildren, reading, baking, and volunteering throughout her home community of Crawford. Whether you are ready to make additional reservations for more of our superb productions or ready to enjoy some treats at intermission, you’re likely to see Ann… and she’s USUALLY smiling.

Adday is ecstatic to be making her Post Playhouse debut after waiting 2 years to audition. Although she is involved in several school activities, Adday is most at home on a stage acting, singing and dancing. She plans her summers around opportunities to perform. Recent roles: Captain Hook, Peter Pan Jr.; Sebastian, The Little Mermaid Jr.; Veruca Salt, Willy Wonka Jr.; Tessie, Annie Jr;

Adday is so grateful for this opportunity to learn from the amazing Post Playhouse cast and crew.

Dana is delighted to be making her Post Playhouse debut with her daughter, Adday. She is thrilled to have a summer surrounded by awesome talent and encouraging support from Post Playhouse cast and crew. During the school year, Dana serves as a school-based mental health provider and helps out with the Chadron High School Musical production each year.

Excited to be coming back to the Post Playhouse, Jerod Turner (He/They/She), is thrilled to be making a return to Nebraska. You might have seen Jerod in the 2019 Post Playhouse season as a college freshman and is proudly coming back as a graduate of the Class of 2022 at Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater in Chicago, IL. A former Missouri native, Jerod comes from a small town named Eureka but has resided in Chicago for the past four years. Jerod is so elated to be making their long awaited return to the stage after an unexpected theater hiatus due to the pandemic. Outside of the theater, Jerod is involved with modeling, drag, and back up dancing. “Lots of love to family and friends for the constant support and here’s to a summer filled with memories!”

Reese is 7 years old and very excited to be joining the Post Playhouse for her first season. Reese will be entering first grade at Chadron Primary School and enjoys art, music, softball, being outside, as well as playing with her cousins and two younger brothers. She is looking forward to learning and being inspired by the amazing professional actors and actresses, and would like to thank everyone at the Post Playhouse for their kindness and encouragement.

Zackary is very excited to start his first summer at the Post Playhouse. He is currently a junior majoring in Theatre at Chadron State College. His favorite roles include Charlie in The Whale, Ash in Evil Dead the Musical, and Man 1 in I Love You, You´re Perfect, Now Change.

He would like to give a huge thank you to his family for supporting him and to all the amazing directors he has had along the way, especially Mrs. Johnson and Mr. Lovell for first introducing him to theatre.

Tom is a big fan of musicals and a current MFA candidate in the Stage Management program in University of Illnois at Urbana Champaign. His stage management credits include: November Dance (Dance at Illinois), Turn of the Screw (Lyric Theatre at Illinois), Tempest (Interlochen Center of Arts), Pshitter! (Illinois Theatre), Avenue Q (ZJU Musial Group) and Macbeth (Department of Foreign Language, PKU). His dream is to work in a professional Les Miserablés production in the future.

George Abbott - an actor, writer, director and producer, had one of the most active and distinguished careers in the entire history of the American theater. The longevity of his theatrical career is legendary: he began as an actor on Broadway in The Misleading Lady (1913) and continued working as a director and play doctor well into the 1980s. He was born in Forestville, New York, and moved with his family to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hamburg,uctionrsity of Rochester, where he joined the Dramatic Club. In 1912 he enrolled in a playwriting course at Harvard and won $100 for his play, The Man in the Manhole. In 1915, two years after The Misleading Lady, he was hired by producer John Golden as office boy/assistant casting director/associate playwright. He was named one of the 10 best performers of 1923 for his work in Zander the Great. He had his first hit as a playwright and director with Broadway (1926). His later directorial credits include the plays _Twentieth CenturyT (1932), Three Men on a Horse (1935; introduced Shirley Booth and Garson Kanin), Brother Rat (1936; introduced José Ferrer and Eddie Albert), and Too Many Girls (1939; introduced Desi Arnaz and Van Johnson). He directed his first musical, Rodgers and Hart’s Jumbo, in 1935; in addition to A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, a short list of landmark musicals he directed includes On Your Toes (1936), The Boys From Syracuse (1938), Pal Joey (1940), On the Town (1944), Beggar’s Holiday (1946), High Button Shoes (1947), Where’s Charley (1948), Call Me Madam (1950), Wonderful Town (1953), Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1955), Once Upon a Mattress (1959), Fiorello! (1959), Tenderloin (1960), Flora, the Red Menace (1965) and On Your Toes (revival, 1983). He helped many performers, directors, writers and choreographers early in their careers, including Harold Prince, Bob Fosse, Shirley Maclaine and Richard Adler. He received numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize (in 1960 for Fiorello!), the 1960 NY Drama Critics Circle Award, 4 Donaldson Awards (1946, 1948, 1953 and 1955), 4 Tony Awards (1955, 1956, 1960 and 1963) and the Handel Medallion from the City of New York (1976); he was a Kennedy Center honoree in 1983. He died in 1995 at the age of 107.

Composer, Lyricist Born: New York, NY. Education: The University of North Carolina, BA.

Military Service: USNR, LTJG, World War II

Wrote: Stop The Music, TV - 1952 Stage

Scores: John Murray Anderson’s Almanac, The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Kwamina, A Mother’s Kisses, Off-Key

TV Musicals: Little Woman, Gift Of The Magi, Olympus 7-000

Symphonic Works: Memory of A Childhood–Premiered October 1978; The Detroit Symphony Retrospectrum–Premiered July 1979; Carnegie Hall, The Soviet Chamber Orchestra; Pulitzer Nominee Yellowstone–Premiered May 1980; Metropolitan Brass Quartet Yellowstone Overture–Premiered November 1980; American Philharmonic Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Pulitzer Nominee Wilderness Suite–Premiered February 1983; The Utah Symphony, Salt Lake City; recorded on RCA Red Seal, Pulitzer Nominee The Lady Remembers–Premiered October 28, 1985; Kennedy Center, Detroit Symphony, Gunther Herbig, Conducting. Commissioned by The Statue Of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, celebrating the Statue’s Centennial; Pulitzer Nominee. Recorded on RCA Red Seal Overture For The U.S. Olympic Festival–Premiered September 1987 March-March to celebrate Harvard’s Neiman Foundation 50th Anniversary; Harvard Premiere 1989 Commemorative Suite–To Celebrate the Bicentennial of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the oldest State University in the U.S. World Premiere, October 11, 1993. Recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. Ballets: Notes On My Life, commissioned and performed by Ft.Worth/Arlington (TX) Ballet. The House of Bernarda Alba, commissioned and performed by Miami City Ballet. 8 By Adler–Commissioned and performed by Chicago City Ballet, November 1984, Chicago. TV Performance awarded an Emmy. Performed frequently by the Fort Worth Ballet. Chicago-Commissioned by the City of Chicago to celebrate its sesquicentennial, Chicago, September 1987

Most Popular Songs: “Rags To Riches” “Hey There” “Hernando’s Hideaway” “Steam Heat” “Whatever Lola Wants” “You Gotta Have Heart” “Everybody Loves A Lover” “Another Time, Another Place”

Musical Commercials: Newport Filter Cigarettes (Best Commercial of the Year, National Advertising Association) Kent; Imperial size Cigarettes; Hertz; American Gas Association; CITGO; Bon Ami; Willys Overland; Lucky Lager Beer; Colgate; Eastman Kodak; Levolor Stage

Entertainments For: White House Correspondents Dinner, Washington; President Kennedy and Prime Minister MacMillan. President John F. Kennedy’s Birthday Salute, Madison Square Garden, New York, 1962. Inaugural Anniversary Salute to President John Kennedy; National Guard Armory, Washington, 1963. Inaugural Gala for President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965. White House Consultant for the Arts to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, 1962-1967.

Awards: 2 Tony Awards, 1 Tony Nomination, 4 Pulitzer Nominations, 2 Donaldson Awards, 2 Variety Critics Awards, London Evening Standard Award, Colgate Distinguished Service Award, Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, National Park Service Honorary Ranger Award, Emmy Southampton Cultural Center Achievement Award for Theater, 1993 University of North Carolina Lifetime Achievement Award, ASCAP Richard Rodgers Award, Honorary Doctorate in Music and Theater, Wagner College.

Boards: ANTA Board of Trustees National Hypertension Association Board of Directors Songwriters Guild of America, Executive Committee, 1st Vice President National Parks and Conservation Association Counsel of Advisors Southampton College Council of Overseers Kennedy Center (ex officio).

David Friedman, (composer) In addition to Desperate Measures, (2018 Drama Desk Best Music Award), David has written 4 other musicals with Peter Kellogg: Nicolette & Aucassin, Nellie Bly, Money Talks, and Lincoln in Love; King Island Christmas (with Deborah Brevoort - 50+ productions worldwide); Koga (with Philip Kholos) a web series for children about using martial arts and kindness to solve every day problems, and is currently collaborating with Elizabeth Dewberry on a musical about Temple Grandin. David has written songs for everyone from Disney to Diana Ross, produced all the late/great Nancy LaMott’s CD’s and wrote many of her best known songs, conducted and vocal arranged 6 musicals on Broadway and numerous Disney Animated Films (Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) wrote songs for The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Bambi II and Trick, scored 3 television series, performed his revue Listen To My Heart — The Songs of David Friedman Off Broadway, all over America and abroad, and cowrote 100 songs (with Kathie Lee Gifford) for the Today Show’s Everyone Has a Story Segment. David is a best-selling metaphysics author with 5 books including The Thought Exchange, and We Can Be Kind - Healing Our World One Kindness at a Time, based on his song of the same name. For more information, go to www.MIDDERMusic.com.

Peter Kellogg has two Tony nominations for book and lyrics to a musical of Anna Karenina (composer Dan Levine), which toured in Japan and was broadcast on Japanese Public TV in 2006. With David Friedman, he created Desperate Measures which won 2018 Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics, as well as The Outer Critics Circle and off-Broadway Alliance Awards for Best Musical. CD available on Amazon. Also with David, Chasing Nicolette (based on the French romance, Aucassin and Nicolette), produced at Westport Playhouse, the Prince in Philadelphia and Village Theatre in Seattle; and Stunt Girl, based on the life of Nellie Bly, New York City’s first female reporter, which premiered at Village Theatre. With composer Steve Weiner, he has written a 10-person musical based on the Sheridan play, The Rivals, which premiered at Bristol Riverside Theatre last fall.

Glen Kelly’s broadway credits include writing the dance music for Steel Pier, Beauty And The Beast, Madison Square Garden’s A Christmas Carol and Dance A Little Closer, also writing the incidental music for Steel Pier and A Christmas Carol. Other Broadway credits include The Tap Dance Kid, Guys And Dolls and Sugar Babies.

He arranged the music for a new Martha Graham ballet, But Not For Me. He spent three years as musical director of San Francisco’s Beach Blanket Babylon. At Papermill Playhouse he wrote the dance music for Rhythm Ranch (Choreographed by Susan Stroman) and adapted Arthur Sullivan’s music for Mikado Inc. He has also worked at Goodspeed Opera.

Karey Kirkpatrick began his career as a screen and songwriter for Disney Animation where he penned The Rescuers Down Under and James and the Giant Peach. With more than a dozen feature films produced, screenplay credits include Chicken Run (Golden Globe nominee for Outstanding Comedy), Charlotte’s Web, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Over the Hedge, which he also co-directed. He directed the Paramount Pictures film Imagine That starring Eddie Murphy and co-produced, wrote and performed on the film’s soundtrack. He recently directed the Warner Brothers animated musical SMALLFOOT for which he also co-wrote the screenplay and the songs (with brother Wayne). He has won a number of Tony, Oscar and Grammy awards and that number is zero. Other credits: husband of Nada, father of Sami, Maia and Finn.

Wayne Kirkpatrick is the Grammy Award-winning songwriter of “Change the World” by Eric Clapton (Song of the Year). Top 10 singles include “Every Heartbeat”, “Good for Me” (Amy Grant); “Wrapped Up in You” (Garth Brooks); “Boondocks”, “Bring It on Home”, “Little White Church (Little Big Town)”; “Place in This World” (Michael W. Smith). He is a multi-formatted songwriter with songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Faith Hill, Joe Cocker, Gabe Dixon, Trisha Yearwood, Babyface and Peter Frampton, among others. His songs have been featured in TV shows (Grey’s Anatomy, True Blood, Hart of Dixie) as well as feature films (Almost Famous, Phenomenon, Smallfoot). Wayne lives in Nashville with his wife Fran and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for 2018. Favorite productions: Kourtney, Shelby and Carson.

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world’s leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser, and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.

MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide.

MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.

John O’Farrell is one of the UK’s best known comic authors and script writers. Best-selling novels include The Best a Man Can Get, May Contain Nuts and The Man Who Forgot His Wife. Non-fiction includes An Utterly Impartial History of Britain, the political memoir Things Can Only Get Better and its recent sequel plus three collections of his satirical columns for The Guardian newspaper. O’Farrell’s books have been translated into thirty languages and adapted for BBC Radio and television. Winner, British Comedy Award. Previously a writer (and later panelist) on BBC’s Have I Got News For You and lead writer on ten series of ITV’s Spitting Image. Currently writing the sequel to Chicken Run, and adapting one of his novels for Sony International Pictures.

Jerry Ross wrote the musical scores for two of the most popular and enduring musicals in Broadway Theater, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, two shows which personify the innocence and exuberance of the Golden Age of Broadway. Jerry Ross was born Jerold Rosenberg on March 9, 1926, to Russian immigrant parents, Lena and Jacob Rosenberg, in the East Bronx, New York City. As a child and young teen, he was the “hottest young property on the Jewish stage,” singing and acting professionally and billed as the “Boy Star” in Yiddish stage and movie productions. An ongoing bronchial condition, however, ended his performing career while he was still in high school. Fortunately, he also began writing songs while in high school, although he had no formal training in music. Subsequently he studied at New York University under Rudolph Schramm. A fortuitous introduction to Eddie Fisher led to further introductions to music publishers at the hub of songwriting activity, the famed Brill Building. Fisher recorded Ross’ “The Newspaper Song,” which garnered early attention for both of them. After penning several well-received songs, some in collaboration with Buddy Kaye and other Brill Building alumni, Ross met Richard Adler in 1950. They decided to team their talents, writing songs and special material (mainly for TV and nightclub acts). They had published several songs together when they attracted the attention of writer/publisher Frank Loesser and became his protégés. By 1953, their song “Rags to Riches” rocketed to number 1 on the charts, becoming a long-standing smash hit, recorded by Tony Bennett. Ross began his career in the Broadway Theater with “John Murray Anderson’s Almanac,” a revue for which he and Adler wrote most of the songs (resulting in recordings of “Acorn in the Meadow” by Harry Belafonte and “Fini” by Polly Bergen). In 1954, after several auditions and Loesser’s recommendation, George Abbott contracted this promising young songwriting duo to write the score for a new musical about union/management relations at a pajama factory. “The Pajama Game” opened to rave reviews, winning the coveted Tony Award for best score, as well as the Donaldson Award and the Variety Drama Critics Award. Songs from the show included “Hernando’s Hideaway” and “Hey There” (a hit for Rosemary Clooney), both of which also topped the Hit Parade of popular songs, capturing the number one and two spots on the music charts and setting a precedent in music business history. Other songs from Pajama Game include the famed Bob Fosse dance number “Steam Heat,” as well as “Small Talk,” and “Seven And A Half Cents.” A year later, in May 1955, the musical “Damn Yankees” played to equal excitement and success. This baseball tale with a Faustian theme once again won Ross the Tony Award, the Donaldson Award, and the Variety Drama Critics Award, plus cross-over recording hits for “You’ve Gotta Have Heart” (recorded by a more well-established Fisher, among many others) and “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets.” Both shows ran on Broadway for over 1000 performances. Successful films were made of both musicals, although Ross did not get to see them realized. He died from complications related to the lung disease bronchiectisis on November 11th, 1955. He was 29. At the time he died, Jerry Ross had written the number one and number two shows running on Broadway. He had written more than 250 popular American songs. His untimely death at such a young age cut short a creative force that was sure to be as popular and enduring as his songs. Jerry Ross was admitted posthumously to the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1982. His wife, Judy, and daughter, Janie, accepted the award in his honor. Recordings of his songs have sold many millions of copies, and his shows are continually performed and enjoyed, from first-class to first-grade productions!

John Douglass Wallop was the 17th John Douglass Wallop from an old Eastern Shore family. His love of baseball began when he was 5 years old, when his father took him to a Senators’ game. A newspaper reporter by profession, he was the author of 13 novels, the second of which, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant, was published in 1955 and became his best known work. Wallop died in 1985

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