A Wonderful Life Cast and Creative Team

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CAST

	BETHE B. AUSTIN* (Millie Bailey, Mrs. Martini) Broadway: Sly Fox (opposite Robert Preston), Whoopee, Onward Victoria, Noises Off (Drama Desk Award), Raggedy Ann. Off-Broadway includes Olympus on My Mind, Anne of Green Gables, Letter To My Love, Pastorale (Second Stage), Zero Positive (Public Theater), All in the Timing. Regional highlights: Mystery of Edwin Drood (dir. Rob Marshall), Best Little Whorehouse, You Can't Take It With You, Texas Flyer (Barrymore Award), The Visit (Signature Theatre). National: The Boy Friend (dir. Dame Julie Andrews), Mrs. Claus in Radio City Christmas Spectacular. TV guest star: Growing Pains, Nurses, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Film: Our Sons (with Julie Andrews), Serious Money, Stepford Wives, Surprise (Cannes Film Festival).

	ELLA BRIGGS (Zuzu) is very happy to be making her Goodspeed debut in A Wonderful Life! She has been seen in other shows like The Little Mermaid Jr. (Scuttle), Beauty and the Beast Jr. (Chip), and Bye Bye Birdie (MacAfee Child). Ella dreams of meeting Julie Andrews and of owning a cow. She hopes you enjoy the show!

	RILEY BRIGGS (Beth) has been in many fun shows like Bye Bye Birdie (MacAfee Child), The Little Mermaid Jr. (Flotsam), and Lion King Kids (Timon). Some of her hobbies are singing, dancing, and bike riding. She is honored to be making her debut at the Goodspeed in A Wonderful Life. Enjoy the show!

	ED DIXON* (Mr. Potter) Ed’s many Broadway appearances include Anything Goes; Mary Poppins; Sunday in the Park with George; How the Grinch Stole Christmas; Gore Vidal’s The Best Man; The Iceman Cometh; Les Misérables; Cyrano; The Three Musketeers; King of Schnorrers; No, No, Nanette and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Ed is the author/composer of Shylock; Cather County, Richard Cory, Fanny Hill, Whodunit…The Musical; and Cloak and Dagger. Georgie, his one man play about George Rose, will premiere at the Signature Theater in 2016. Two Drama Desk nominations, Steinberg Grant, Dramalogue Award, Helen Hayes Award, Leon Rabin Award, and two Dean’s List Awards. He is the author of the best-selling book Secrets of a Life on Stage…And Off.

	RYAN G. DUNKIN* (Ernie) National Tours: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, The Full Monty. Broadway Workshops/Readings: Shrek the Musical and Pure Country. Off Broadway: Drat! The Cat!, Good News. Regional: Dirty Blonde (Charlie), Camelot (Sir Sagamore), A Christmas Carol (Marly), Forever Plaid (Smudge), Careless Love (Book/Music/Lyrics). Musical Improv House Teams at Magnet Theater (Legend) and PIT (Dagger); New Kitchen Cover videos.

	JOSH FRANKLIN* (Sam Wainwright) is honored to be working at the beautiful Goodspeed Opera House for the very first time! Broadway: Anything Goes, Ghost, Legally Blonde, and Grease. Tours: Jersey Boys (Bob Gaudio), Grease (Danny), Anything Goes (Billy), All Shook Up. Recent roles include Bobby Child in Crazy For You (Stratford Festival) and Billy Crocker in the tour of Anything Goes (Helen Hayes nomination). Josh released his debut album of all-original music in 2013, which can be found on iTunes. His second album will be release in 2016! Thanks to friends, family, the team at Nicolosi, and his sweet, sweet dog Sookie. @thejoshfranklin www.thejoshfranklin.com

	LOGAN JAMES HALL* (Harry) Goodspeed debut. An Oregon native, Logan dwells in NYC as a graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater. Favorite theater credits include Fulton Theater’s Venus In Fur (Thomas), Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Twelfth Night (Sir Toby Belch), and Romeo and Juliet with the globetrotting company SHOTSPEARE (Romeo). Logan can be seen or heard in multiple national commercials and voiceovers. Thanks to the wonderful cast and creative team at Goodspeed, Rikky Fishbein at The Hybrid Agency for his work and confidence, and of course his wonderful family, friends, and Greer for always being there with their support, love, encouragement, and kicks in the butt when necessary!

	DUKE LAFOON(George Bailey) A Virginia native, Duke couldn’t be happier to be making his Goodspeed debut. He last appeared Off Broadway as Billy in Clinton The Musical.* New York: The Audience (Transport Group), I Love My Wife (Queens Theatre), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and A Christmas Carol (Gateway), A Wonderful Life (Westchester Broadway). Duke received an RTCC Best Actor Award for the role of Dan in Next to Normal at Virginia Rep. Some favorites: Ace (Old Globe, Signature Theatre), Doubt (Barksdale Theatre, West Virginia Public), Sideman and Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Company of Fools). TV: Hostages, Forever, and the CBS miniseries Sally Hemings. dukelafoon.com

	KEVIN C. LOOMIS* (Bert) Goodspeed debut. Most recently seen in the infamous Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark on Broadway. Other Broadway credits include Inherit the Wind with Christopher Plummer and Brian Dennehy. Kevin toured in 101 Dalmatians the Musical. Favorite regional credits include Max in The Producers, Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls, Big Bopper in The Buddy Holly Story, Falstaff in Merry Wives of Windsor, and Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. His television credits include Law and Order, Frasier, X-Files, and The Practice. Kevin has done national and regional commercials, voice overs, and print. Favorite? Playing “The Sphincter” in a Sega Saturn national commercial.

	GEORGE McDANIEL* (Tom, Matthew, Mr. Martin ) Goodspeed debut. Broadway: Big River. National Tours: Annie Get Your Gun, Big River, Show Boat, Ragtime, White Christmas. Off-Broadway: Biography (Pearl Theatre), Perfect Crime (Snapple Theater). Regional: How to Succeed… (Flat Rock Playhouse); Big River, Bandido, Putting It Together (Mark Taper Forum); Oliver! (Deaf West-Ovation nominee); My Fair Lady (Actors Theater of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse, Virginia Stage, Austin Music Theater-Best Actor), Man of La Mancha (SBCLO-Best Actor), …Forum, Shout Up A Morning, His Girl Friday (La Jolla Playhouse); Cyrano de Bergerac, Macbeth, Long Day’s Journey, Devil’s Disciple (Ahmanson Theatre). Film/TV: This Is Spinal Tap, The Intern, The Good Wife, West Wing, ER, Days Of Our Lives, All My Children (recurring), all the Law & Orders.

	MICHAEL MEDEIROS* (Uncle Billy) recently won critical acclaim in Goodman Theatre’s bold re-imagining of Camino Real and played multiple roles in Bard Summerscape’s, The Master & Margarita. He has played the title roles in Sweeney Todd and Man of La Mancha and was in the original production of Violet at Playwrights Horizons. Other theatre work includes New York Shakespeare Festival, Long Wharf, The Huntington, Paper Mill, The Kennedy Center and many others. In films & television, he has appeared in X-Men First Class, Synecdoche New York, Son of the Morning Star, RoboCop 2 and most recently the award winning indie, She’s Lost Control (Berlinale 2014). He has guest starred on numerous TV series including Elementary, Believe, Person of Interest and Law & Order. He has also written and directed the indie films, Underground and BLINK - which played festivals internationally, made it’s NYC run in the fall of 2014 and will soon be released on DVD.

	KIRSTEN SCOTT* (Mary Hatch ) was last seen on Broadway as Lorraine in Jersey Boys. Other Broadway performances include originating the roles of Jenny Hill in the musical Big Fish and Young Phyllis in the 2012 revival of Follies, and Amber von Tussle in Hairspray. Select regional credits include Big Fish (Chicago Oriental Theater), Oklahoma! (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma), The Wedding Singer (Pittsburgh CLO), Follies (Kennedy Center/Ahmanson), The Marvelous Wondrettes (Westside Theater), Grease (Sacramento Music Circus), Chaplin (La Jolla Playhouse), Minksy’s (Ahmanson), Curtains (Pittsburgh CLO), Thoroughly Modern Millie (WV Public). TV: All My Children, The Steve Harvey Show. Kirsten is a proud graduate of the Drama School at Carnegie Mellon University.

	BEN STONE-ZELMAN (Tommy) is thrilled to be making his Goodspeed debut! Area credits include Hartford Stage: Boy Scrooge/Fred’s Son in A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas; Landmark Community Theatre at Thomaston Opera House: Flounder in The Little Mermaid and Michael Banks in Mary Poppins; Connecticut Theatre Company: Karl Stossel in The Christmas Schooner; Hartford Children’s Theatre: Jeremy Jacob in How I Became A Pirate. Ben is a seventh grader from West Hartford, Connecticut.

	FRANK VLASTNIK* (Clarence) Broadway: A Year with Frog and Toad, Sweet Smell of Success, Big. Off-Broadway: Sondheim's Saturday Night; I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Regional: Room Service (Westport Country Playhouse, 2014 CT Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play), Rest, In Pieces (Delaware Theatre Co.), La Jolla Playhouse, Kander & Ebb's All About Us (WCP), McCarter, Capital Repertory, Yale Repertory, St. Louis Muny. TV: Elementary, Boardwalk Empire, The Good Wife, Person of Interest, Law & Order. Film: Random Unrelated Projects, The Image. Co-Author of Broadway Musicals and Sitcoms, both published by Black Dog & Leventhal. Graduate Illinois Wesleyan University.

	ALISSA ALTER* (Ensemble) is thrilled to be back at Goodspeed! Previous Goodspeed credits include: Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn (u/s Lila Dixon) and 42nd Street. National Tours: A Chorus Line 1st National (u/s Val and Kristine), Guys and Dolls (swing). Regional: Arena Stage, MUNY, North Shore Music Theatre, Gateway Playhouse. Alissa is also an improviser at the Magnet Theatre. Thank you Michael, Parker, Paul, and my Goodspeed family! All my love to the Alters. www.alissaalter.com

	MADDY APPLE* (Ensemble) is thrilled to be back at the Goodspeed! You might remember her as the Nun in Hello, Dolly!. Favorite credits: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (National Tour 2013/2014); Hello, Dolly! (Goodspeed); US Premiere of Saturday Night Fever (Finger Lakes MTF); Nunsense (Finger Lakes MTF). A big thank you to the cast, crew, and creatives! Love to the bob-haired bandits and the entire Apple clan. Protect your heART. www.maddyapple.com @maddyapplechoreography (Instagram)

	DREW NELLESSEN* (Ensemble) is thrilled to be back at Goodspeed, where he last appeared doing the Varsity Drag in Good News!. Tours: Chicago (National, Tokyo, Dubai, and Bangkok productions), West Side Story (Riff). Other favorite credits include Bobby in Crazy For You (Riverside Theatre), Goodman, Sacramento Music Circus, MUNY, Marriott, Stages! St. Louis, and many more. Drew would like to thank Michael, Parker, Paul, Clear Talent, and the fine folk at Goodspeed for this opportunity. Love to Mom and Dad! Happy Holidays!

	HOLLIS SCARBOROUGH* (Karen, Ensemble) is honored to be onstage at Goodspeed for the first time. Broadway: Mary Poppins. Tours: Mary Poppins, The Who's Tommy, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Regional favorites: 42nd Street (Billy Lawlor)—BroadwayWorld Award, A Chorus Line (Billy), Gypsy (Tulsa), Camelot (Mordred). Special thanks to everyone at Goodspeed for the opportunity. Love to Family and Friends.

	CURTIS SCHROEGER* (Ensemble, Dance Captain) What a Wonderful Life it is! Over the moon to be back at the Goodspeed after a lovely run of Fiddler last summer. Recently seen at the Alliance's World Premiere of Broadway-bound Tuck Everlasting. Broadway Tours: Disney/MacIntosh's Mary Poppins, Lincoln Center's South Pacific, Fiddler on the Roof with Harvey Fierstein. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes NYC Center Encores. Opening of the 65th Tony Awards. Regional: Arena Stage, The MUNY, North Shore MT, Portland Center Stage, Cape Playhouse. Florida State Alum. Proud Member of Actors Equity. High Fives and thanks to Parker, Michael, and Donna Lynn. Endless love to my fiancé Sam.

	CAROL SCHUBERG* (Mrs. Hatch, Ensemble) performed in The Boys from Syracuse and Mirette and was associate choreographer on A Funny Thing Happened…Forum and Can-Can for Goodspeed Musicals. She performed on Broadway in Meet Me in St. Louis; Off-Broadway in Chess; in National Tours of Cats, Gigi, The Tap Dance Kid, and Barnum; and Regionally in A Chorus Line (Sheila), George M! (Madame Grimaldi), Bye Bye Birdie (Rosie), and The Late Henry Moss (Conchalla Lupina). She choreographed Last Dance (The York Theatre) and Nine (Abe Burrows Theatre), and performed with Chita Rivera at the Kennedy Center Gala: A Celebration of Women in the Arts.

	LAURA E. TAYLOR* (Ensemble) is thrilled to return to Goodspeed after appearing in Queen Mother. She has also been seen in Mame at the Kennedy Center and in the National Tours of Beauty and the Beast and Oklahoma!. Other favorites include Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie), Anything Goes (Erma), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Christine), Cinderella (Joy), The Marvelous Wonderettes (Missy), The Drowsy Chaperone (Kitty), Noises Off! (Brooke), and The Producers (Ulla). Proud Equity member and founder of Acting Strengths.

	JOHN T. WOLFE* (Ensemble) is very excited to be returning to the Goospeed stage after last being seen in the world-premiere of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn and Mame. Originally from Huntington, WV, John attended the Brigham Young University's Music/Dance/Theatre program. Previous credits include: Thoroughly Modern Millie (u/s Jimmy, Paper Mill/Maltz Jupiter); Gypsy (Yonkers, Capital Rep); Holiday Inn and Spamalot (MUNY); Hello, Dolly! (Cape Playhouse); My One and Only (Stages St. Louis); and White Christmas (Pioneer). A big thanks to Jim and Maegan at bloc, and to David and my family for always supporting/putting up with me!

	JESSICA WU* (Ensemble) Broadway/NYC: The Radio City Spring Spectacular, A Chorus Line Broadway Revival, Shakespeare in the Park’s The Comedy of Errors, Babes in Toyland at Lincoln Center, Peter and the Wolf at BAM, NAAP’s Oliver!, Sayonara at Theatre Row, workshops of Everyday Rapture and Empire. Tours: Tommy Tune’s Dr. Dolittle, The King and I, Miss Saigon, The Wizard of Oz, the 1st National Revival Company of A Chorus Line. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, DC’s Arena Stage, Sacramento Music Circus, TUTS, PCLO, KC Starlight, MUNY, Baltimore CenterStage, PTC Utah. Bachelor of Music, NYU Steinhardt. Thanks, Parker! Love to Danielle, Megs, Rosi, and Ian.

	KATE CHERICHELLO (Swing) is so thankful to be making her Goodspeed debut! Favorite credits include Gypsy (u/s Louise-Fulton), Guys and Dolls (Mimi-Indianapolis Symphony) with Hal Linden and Hugh Panaro, Smokey Joe’s Café (DeLee), 42nd Street (Peggy). She has enjoyed working on multiple new shows in NYC and Chicago, as well as a variety of TV and film projects. A New Jersey native, Kate lives in NYC and is also a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. Butler grad. Grateful to God and the Goodspeed team. www.katecherichello.com

	ALEX DRESCHKE (Swing) is ecstatic to be a part of such a talented cast. Upon graduating from UC Irvine with a BFA in Dance Performance and the William J. Gillespie Scholarship in Ballet Studies, Alex is excited to be pursuing his dream in New York City. Credits include Beauty and the Beast at Musical Theatre West, Dancer/Performer at Disneyland, and Donald McKayle’s Etude Ensemble. Thank you to all teachers, family, and friends.

	BOBBIE CELINE DOHERTY (Beth & Zuzu understudy) is making her Goodspeed debut! Credits: Meet Me in St. Louis (Tootie) at Ocean State Theatre Company; South Pacific (Jerome) and The Sound of Music (Gretl) at The Granite Theatre; The Sound of Music (Gretl) and Cinderella for Stonington High School; The Wiz, Once On This Island, and Footloose at East Lyme Regional Theater; and the Lifetime movie Wishin’ and Hopin’. Bobbie would like to thank Goodspeed for this wonderful opportunity!

	BRENDAN OAKLEY (Tommy understudy) A Connecticut native, Brendan is extremely proud and excited to make his professional debut with Goodspeed Musicals! An active 11-year-old Boy Scout, he has many interests, including playing trumpet, singing in the chorus, swimming, and playing baseball and basketball. Brendan has enjoyed performing in local productions of Charlotte’s Web, Annie Kids, and Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark KIDS. He would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support. Heartfelt thanks to everyone at Goodspeed for this fantastic opportunity!

CREATIVE TEAM

	MICHAEL PERLMAN (Director) has directed at Cleveland Play House, Trinity Repertory Company, Kitchen Theatre Company, Arvada Theater Center, Boise Contemporary Theater, Creede Repertory Theater, Swine Palace, Maples Rep, Brown/Trinity Playwrights Rep and the Brown/Trinity MFA Programs as well as workshops with The Playwrights’ Center, The Magic Theater and Young Playwrights, Inc. He is the Associate Director on Fiasco Theater’s Into the Woods at the McCarter, Old Globe and Roundabout Theater Company. His assistant directing credits include the Public Theater and Roundabout Theater Company. His play, From White Plains, is the recipient of a 2013 GLAAD Media Award and was nominated for New York Innovative Theater awards for Outstanding Premiere Production and Outstanding Full-Length Script. In addition, Michael’s one-person show Flying on the Wing was presented at the New York Fringe Festival, where it was the winner of Outstanding Solo Show. His most recent play, At The Table, will premiere this spring at HERE Arts Center, produced by Fault Line Theatre. Michael is an Artistic Associate with both Fiasco Theater, and Fault Line Theatre, is proud to be a member of SDC, a Drama League Directing Fellow, and holds a BA and MFA from Brown University, where has also served on faculty.

	PARKER ESSE (Choreographer) is honored to return to Goodspeed after choreographing Fiddler on the Roof, The Most Happy Fella, and Carousel. He choreographed Sondheim and Marsalis’ A Bed and A Chair: A New York Love Affair, directed by John Doyle, at New York City Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Parker is a three-time Helen Hayes nominee and 2010 winner for Best Choreography for Arena Stage’s Oklahoma!. This season he directed and choreographed Omaha Symphony’s Christmas Spectacular; West Side Story (FLMTF), Bells Are Ringing (Berkshire Theatre Festival), Sweet Charity (Canada’s Shaw Festival); upcoming projects include Oliver! for Arena Stage and West Side Story for Signature Theatre. Associate Choreographer: Broadway’s Finian’s Rainbow, A Tale of Two Cities, and five New York City Center Encores! productions.

	MICHAEL O'FLAHERTY (Music Director) is in his 24^th season as Goodspeed's Resident Music Director. Broadway: By Jeeves, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, A Streetcar Named Desire. Also: Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Ford's Theatre, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, and the Smithsonian Institution. Musical Supervisor and Cabaret Director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival for 11 years. His original musical, Genesius, for which he wrote music and lyrics, was recently showcased in NYC.

	BRIAN PRATHER (Scenic Design) Off-Broadway designs include the new Patrick Barlow adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Becoming Dr. Ruth, The Memory Show, Freud’s Last Session, The Burnt Part Boys, and Fugitive Songs. Internationally: Chung-mu Art Hall in Seoul, South Korea. Regionally: The Alley Theatre, Barrington Stage Co., TheaterWorks Hartford, Virginia Rep., The Broad Stage, The Mercury Theatre (winning the Jeff Award for Best Set Design), Delaware Theatre Co., The Hangar Theatre, Shakespeare on the Sound, and many others. Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. See more of Brian’s work at www.brianprather.com.

	JENNIFER CAPRIO (Costume Design) is thrilled to be back at Goodspeed Musicals after designing LMNOP. Broadway: The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off-Broadway: A Perfect Arrangement (Primary Stages), The Lion (MTC), Little Children Dream of God (Roundabout), Tail! Spin! (Culture Project), Little Miss Sunshine (Second Stage), In Transit (Primary Stages-Lucille Lortel nomination). National Tour: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat starring Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo. International: The Collected Works of Billy the Kid (Edinburgh Festival), The Great American Trailer Park Musical and Queen Esther Marrow and the Harlem Gospel Singers; also 70 US Regional Theaters and Opera Companies.

	SCOTT BOLMAN (Lighting Design) Barefoot in the Park and Veronica Meadows (Trinity Repertory Co.); The May Queen, Intimate Apparel, and The Romeo & Juliet Project (Chautauqua Theater Co.); Song from the Uproar (The Kitchen & LA Opera); Antigone (Benaki Museum and UNESCO); The Box (Foundry Theater); Visitations (Prototype Festival); Urban Renewal (French Institute and Théâtre de la Cité); Brooklyn Babylon (BAM and the Holland Festival); Robert Wilson's Odyssey (National Theater of Greece and Piccolo Teatro); and Zinnias (Peak Performances and Nuits de Fourvière). Scott is a founding member of Wingspace Design Collective.

	JAY HILTON (Sound Design) is pleased to continue his long association with Goodspeed Musicals and to be once again working with director Rob Ruggiero and this extraordinarily talented creative team. Other Goodspeed collaborations with Mr. Ruggiero include 1776, Big River, Camelot, Show Boat, Carousel, The Most Happy Fella and last season’s Fiddler on the Roof. Jay has designed countless productions at both the Goodspeed Opera House and the Norma Terris Theatre in Chester. In addition to being Goodspeed’s Resident Sound Designer, Jay serves as their Lighting & Sound Supervisor. His work has also been heard on Broadway, National tours, and at regional theatres from coast to coast. He and his wife, Goodspeed Line Producer Donna Lynn Hilton, make their home (and garden) in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

	MARK ADAM RAMPMEYER (Hair, Wig, & Makeup Design) is very happy to return to Goodspeed for this production. His work has been seen here in The Most Happy Fella, Good News!, Something’s Afoot, 42^nd Street, Big River, and Half a Sixpence, to name a few. Broadway: West Side Story, Lysistrata Jones, The Farnsworth Invention. Off-Broadway: The Toxic Avenger, Horton Foote’s Orphans’ Home Cycle, The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore with Olympia Dukakis, and, most recently, Talley’s Folly at Roundabout Theatre Company. Mark is the Costume Rental Manager for Goodspeed Musicals and makes his home here in East Haddam. Thanks to all for their continued support on this journey. peep

	DAN DeLANGE (Orchestrator) has orchestrated for The Jim Henson Company, Julie Andrews, Rosie O'Donnell, Live Theatricals at Universal Studios, and composers Paul Williams, Jerry Herman, Harvey Schmitt, Charles Strouse, Peter Link, and Mark Hollman. His scores have been heard on Broadway, National and European tours, film, television, and at regional theaters around the world, including over 40 productions at Goodspeed Musicals. He’s a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and Oberlin Conservatory of Music. DanDeLangeOrchestrations.com

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.