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Rags Cast and Creative Team

Rags Cast and Creative Team

CAST

Christian Michael CamporinCHRISTIAN MICHAEL CAMPORIN* (David) has appeared on Broadway in Finding Neverland (Jack, Michael) and Matilda the Musical (Eric). Regional credits include Appropriate (Ainsley, Westport Country Playhouse); Room of My Own (Little Carl, Seven Angels Theatre);The Little Mermaid, Joseph...Dreamcoat, South Pacific, and Carousel (STONC). Workshop: Flying Over Sunset (Archie Leach, Second Stage Theater). Voiceovers include the Sprout series Super Wings and the Disney short film Frozen Fever. Love to Mom, Dad, Jackson and Lucia. Thank you to Mara Entertainment. His family immigrated to the US from Italy.
 
J.D. DawJ.D. DAW* (Quintet) has worked with Rob Ruggiero in Next to Normal (Dr. Madden) at TheaterWorks and The Music Man (Jacey Squires) at The MUNY. J.D. played Jinx in Forever Plaid for the inaugural productions at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret in Sacramento and Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret. Other Regional: Spamalot (Sir Galahad), Funny Girl (Ziegfeld Tenor) with North Shore Music Theatre; Moon Over the Brewery (Randolph), Comedy of Tenors (Carlo), and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (Man 2) with The Mountain Playhouse; Smokey Joe's Cafe (Michael) with PA Centre Stage. J.D. also sings Frankie Valli tribute concerts for events around the country, including The Flatrock Playhouse's Music on the Rock series. His family immigrated to the US from Italy and England.
 
Ellie FishmanELLIE FISHMAN* (Quintet) is making her Goodspeed debut with this wonderful show. She has appeared regionally at theatres including The Muny (Beauty and the Beast and My Fair Lady), Music Theatre Wichita (Fantine in Les Misérables), and the Paper Mill Playhouse (A Christmas Story The Musical). Ellie holds a BFA from the University of Michigan. Instagram: @ellie_fishman. Her family immigrated to the US from Russia, Germany, and Ireland.
 
Mitch GreenbergMITCH GREENBERG* (Jack) Teachers: Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, and Bill Esper. Goodspeed: You Never Know, Cutman A Boxing Musical. Broadway: eleven shows, from Hollywood / Ukraine to Fiddler (2016) and It Shoulda Been You. Assorted engagements: Wiesenthal (Simon), Freud’s Last Session (Freud), Diary of Anne Frank (Otto), Sunset Boulevard (DeMille), Brighton Beach / Broadway Bound (Jack). Off-Broadway: Donogoo , Right Kind Of People, Sherlock Holmes, Old Wicked Songs, Baker’s Wife, and Crazy Mary. Regional favorites: Snapshots (Stephen Schwartz), Beau Jest, The Chosen, Art, My Fair Lady, Talley's Folly, Two For The Seesaw, A Funny Thing..., The Cocoanuts (Hayes nominee), The Good Doctor, Run For Your Wife!. Mitch acted and sang in A Novel Romance, all in Yiddish, which he doesn’t speak! His family immigrated to the US from Russia and Romania.
 
David HarrisDAVID HARRIS* (Bronfman) USA: Ragtime (Father: Barrington Stage), Next to Normal (Dan: TheaterWorks – CCC Best Actor nomination), Anything Goes (Billy: Goodspeed), Les Misérables (Valjean: CT Rep). Australia: Miss Saigon (Chris: Helpmann, Sydney Theater nominations), Wicked (Fiyero: Helpmann nomination), Legally Blonde (Emmett: Green Room Award, Helmann, Sydney Theater nominations), Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, The Boy From Oz, The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Children of Eden, Damn Yankees, Fiddler on the Roof, Little Women, Gutenberg, The Pajama Game, Mamma Mia!. International: Wicked (Fiyero – Singapore, Korea). Concert: Do You Hear The People Sing, Defying Gravity – Stephen Schwartz, Evening with Lea Salonga, and Andrew Lippa and Friends. www.davidharrisofficial.com @DavidHarrisOz. He immigrated to the USA from Australia three years ago.
 
Adam HellerADAM HELLER* (Avram) Recently at Goodspeed: Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (Connecticut Critics Circle Award). Broadway: It Shoulda Been You; Elf; Caroline, or Change; A Class Act; Victor/Victoria; Les Misérables. Off-Broadway: Peer Gynt (CSC), Fiorello! (City Center Encores!), Make Me a Song (New World Stages), The Immigrant (New World Stages), Wings (Second Stage), Merrily We Roll Along (York). Selected Regional: Follies (St. Louis Rep), The Chosen (Barrington), The Secret Garden (Denver Center), My Name is Asher Lev (Arden), Art (Theaterworks), Brighton Beach Memoirs (St. Louis Rep). TV: The Good Fight, Elementary, The Americans, Law & Order (all), The Sopranos, Oz. His family immigrated to the US from Russia.
 
Sara KapnerSARA KAPNER* (Bella) is so excited to be making her Goodspeed debut! Broadway: Hollywood Arms (dir. Harold Prince). Off Broadway: bare (New World Stages), On a Stool at the End of the Bar (59e59), Captain Louie (w/ Stephen Schwartz at the York and Little Shubert), Children's Letters to God (Lamb's). Favorite Regional: Into the Woods and Addams Family (St. Louis Theater Circle Award) at the MUNY, The Diary of Anne Frank at Delaware Theatre Company. Film & TV: Starring roles in The Murder Pact and Twisted Sisters on Lifetime, A Little Help starring Jenna Fischer and Chris O'Donnell. Thank you to this incredible team, my family and friends. For RJ! Her family immigrated to the US from Eastern Europe.
 
Danny LindgrenDANNY LINDGREN* (Quintet) is excited to be returning to Goodspeed after appearing in Chasing Rainbows, Damn Yankees, and The Most Happy Fella. Regional: Oklahoma! and Guys and Dolls (Merry Go Round Playhouse), A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre), Addams Family (Ogunquit), South Pacific (Gateway), Taming of the Shrew (Ithaca Shakespeare Co.), Camelot (Glimmerglass Opera Festival), The Flying Dutchman (Hawaii Opera Theatre). Upcoming: Candide at the LA Opera and Washington National Opera. BFA Ithaca College. Huge thanks to Rob, Parker, Charles, Stephen, Tom, MOF, Bill, Michael, Donna Lynn, Bob, Paul, Stewart/Whitley, and TKO. Love to my family and my beautiful wife Andrea. His family immigrated to the US from Sweden, Holland, and Ireland.
 
Sean MacLaughlinSEAN MacLAUGHLIN* (Sal) Broadway/National Tour: Phantom of the Opera (Raoul), Evita (Peron), Lestat, The Woman in White, Bombay Dreams. NY/Regional: House of Poe (Playwrights Horizons/NYMF), The Audience and Requiem for William (Transport Group), Jesus Christ Superstar (ACT), Follies (Signature Theatre), Merrily We Roll Along (Kennedy Center), Violet (Viginia Rep). Sean is an award-winning filmmaker, wearing different hats as director, editor, cinematographer, and producer of shorts and webisodes, including Wisco Queens, The King, and The Spectrum—a short dedicated to his oldest son and to those struggling with the label of ASD. For Quinn, Jack, and Elaine. Twitter: @theatremutt His family immigrated to the US from Ireland and the Philippines.
 
Samantha MassellSAMANTHA MASSELL* (Rebecca) is thrilled to make her Goodspeed debut with this topical show. Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel), Baz Luhrmann’s La Boheme. Paper Mill/LJP: Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Florika). Encores!: Little Me, …It’s Superman. MUNY: Aladdin (Jasmine), Into the Woods (Rapunzel), Bye Bye Birdie (Ursula). Film: Beatbox, ZUG. BFA, The University of Michigan, Phi Beta Kappa. Thank you to Joan, Mark, and Stephen, Charles, David, and Rob (and Joe) for this gift of a role. For Mom. www.samanthamassell.com / @smassellsings on twitter and instagram. Her family immigrated to the US from Lithuania, Russia, and Hungary.
 
Nathan SalstoneNATHAN SALSTONE* (Ben) is honored to be making his Goodspeed debut! A recent graduate of Carnegie Mellon University BFA Acting/Music Theater 2017. Immense thank you to The Goodspeed, the Rags team, Nicolosi & Co, CMU, the Salstone/Geisenheimer family and all! Follow at @nathan_salstone "Am Yisrael Chai- The people of Israel live." His family immigrated to the US from Russia, Poland, and Germany.
 
Sarah SolieSARAH SOLIE* (Quintet) Goodspeed debut. Broadway credits include South Pacific, Mary Poppins, and Cats, as well as the original companies of Beauty and the Beast, Steel Pier, High Society, Lestat, and the 2012 revival of Annie. She also appeared in the role of Caroline Neville in the First National touring company of Titanic. Regionally, Sarah has enjoyed playing the roles of Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain (Barter Theatre), Anna Leonowens in The King and I (Arkansas Rep), and The Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd (Barter Theatre). Her family immigrated to the US from Norway and Bohemia.
 
Jeff WilliamsJEFF WILLIAMS* (Quintet) Goodspeed: Where’s Charley, Wonderful Town. Broadway/Tour: The Music Man, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Pirate Queen, A Christmas Carol, The Will Rogers Follies, Me and My Girl. Regional: Hamlet, Outside Mullingar, Seminar, To Kill a Mockingbird, M. Butterfly, Art, The Crucible, The Sisters Rosensweig, Terra Nova, Death For Five Voices, The Full Monty, Mamma Mia, Around the World in 80 Days, and many more; Film/TV: Bull, Difficult People, Gotham, Blacklist, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, American Odyssey, The Sopranos, The Producers. Syracuse University graduate and a proud Equity member since 1987. www.JeffWilliamsOnline.com His family immigrated to the US from Italy, Germany, and Wales.
 
Lori WilnerLORI WILNER* (Rachel) Broadway: Fiddler on the Roof (2015, 2004), Beautiful, Domesticated, The Assembled Parties, On a Clear Day… Forever, A Catered Affair, The Diary of Anne Frank, Awake and Sing!, People in the Picture, Everett Beekin, Those Were the Days. Goodspeed: Fiddler on the Roof. Off-Broadway: Hannah Senesh (Drama Desk nomination), Dancing on Nails, Milk and Honey, Yiddish Trojan Women, Hannah 1939, The Witch, The Last Survivor, The Dreyfus Affair, Bubbe Meises. Regional: Cabaret, Awake and Sing!, Other Desert Cities, Giant, Beau Jest, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Broken Glass, The Sisters Rosensweig, The Glass Menagerie, The Heidi Chronicles, Lost in Yonkers, Conversations with My Father, Sweepers, The Immigrant, Butterfingers Angel. Awards: Charles Bowden, Heury, Goldy, Drama Desk nomination. Her family immigrated to the US from Russia, Romania, and Austria.
 
Emily ZachariasEMILY ZACHARIAS* (Anna) Broadway: three plays and three musicals, dir. Mike Nichols, Joe Mantello, Leonard Nimoy. National Tours: On the Twentieth Century, Evita, Company (Joanne). Off-Broadway: March of the Falsettos, 27 Rue de Fleures, Inventing Avi, Olympus on my Mind, Through the Darkness at The Workshop Theater (founding member). Regional favorites: The Last Night of Ballyhoo, The Musical of Musicals, Fiddler on the Roof, Nine, Romeo & Bernadette, Lend me a Tenor. Directing: Women, Wisdom & You at the NYTimes Center, Art in the Public Eye at SOPAC, Likely Stories- an annual short story event. Emily is a teaching artist in Narrative Medicine.  For my grandparents, who immigrated from Eastern Europe early in the 20th Century.

 

 
Gordon BeckGORDON BECK (David understudy) age 9, is from Tolland, Conn. and thrilled to be a part of his first theater experience. He would like to thank the staff at this year’s Hartt Summer Musical Theater Intensive Junior, as he so enjoyed the program that it inspired him to try theater. Gordon enjoys playing hockey, modern dance, and guitar, and working on his ninja climbing skills. His family immigrated to the US from Russia, Germany, and Ireland.
 
Giovanni DiGabrielleGIOVANNI DiGABRIELE (Swing) is honored to be a part of this special production at the historic Goodspeed Opera House. National Tour: R+H’s Cinderella. Regional: Walnut Street Theatre, Maine State Music Theatre, Fulton Theatre, Prince Music Theatre. Endless gratitude to Rob Ruggiero, Donna Lynn Hilton, Parker Esse, Stephen Schwartz, Charles Strouse, Paul Hardt, the Goodspeed staff, Michele, CPM, the cast and crew, and his amazing family and friends. His family immigrated to the US from Italy.
 
Catalina GagliottiCATALINA GAGLIOTI (Swing) returns to Goodspeed after appearing in the 2016 Festival of New Musicals. She was recently seen Off-Broadway as Marina/Ensemble in the new musical Temple of the Souls at the Acorn Theatre. Recent credits include Belle, A Christmas Carol; Eponine, Les Misérables; and Fosca, Passion. Catalina holds a BFA in musical theatre from the Boston Conservatory. @catgaglioti; catalinagaglioti.com. Her family immigrated to the US from Napoli, Italy.
 


CREATIVE TEAM

ROB RUGGIERO (Director) is thrilled to be returning to Goodspeed for his tenth season, after directing past productions of La Cage aux Folles, Fiddler on the Roof, The Most Happy Fella, Carousel, Show Boat, Annie Get Your Gun, Camelot, Big River, and 1776. Rob has won multiple Connecticut Critic’s Circle Awards for Best Direction, most recently for his highly-celebrated production of Next to Normal at TheaterWorks, where he has directed over 60 shows and is the Producing Artistic Director. His Broadway credits include High (starring Kathleen Turner) and Looped (starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance). Off-Broadway, he conceived and directed the original musical revue entitled Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn. The production received nominations for both the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award.  Rob has earned national recognition for his work on both plays and musicals. Regionally, he has directed a number of critically-acclaimed musical productions including Follies; Oklahoma!; Hello, Dolly!; South Pacific; The King & I; and Sunday in the Park with George. In addition, he conceived and directed the highly-successful Ella (Kevin Kline and Joseph Jefferson Awards) at TheaterWorks. His work has been seen at many other major regional theaters around the country, including Actor’s Theater of Louisville, Arizona Theatre Company, Barrington Stage Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, Guthrie Theater, Hartford Stage, Northlight Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, among others. Future projects include TheaterWorks’ upcoming season, where he will direct Constellations and The Legend of Georgia McBride.
 
PARKER ESSE (Choreography)is returning to Goodspeed after choreographing A Wonderful Life, 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 Encores! with Jazz at Lincoln Center. Parker is a five-time Helen Hayes Best Choreography nominee and winner for Best Choreography for Arena Stage’s Oklahoma!. For the past 5 years, he has directed/choreographed Omaha Symphony’s Christmas Spectacular.  Other selected credits as Director and/or Choreographer: Hazel: Maid in America, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Crazy For YouWest Side Story, Bells Are Ringing, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, Sweet Charity, and Me and My Girl, for Berkshire Theatre Group, Shaw Festival Canada, Ogunquit Playhouse, Signature Theatre, Glimmerglass Theatre Festival, and Finger Lakes Musical Theater Festival. Associate Choreographer: Five Encores! productions, Bull Durham, 101 Dalmatians, Broadway’s Finian’s Rainbow, A Tale of Two Cities, and featured performer in Fosse. Parker is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of The Broadway Master Class Series. www.broadwaymcs.com
 
MICHAEL O'FLAHERTY (Music Director) is in his 26th 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 A Connecticut Christmas Carol, for which he wrote music and lyrics, will be presented at Goodspeed’ Terris Theatre in Chester this fall.
 
 MICHAEL SCHWEIKART (Scenic Design) Selected Off-Broadway productions include: The Bus and the American Premiere of Frank McGuinness’ Gates of Gold (59 E 59); Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova); The Black Suits (The Public Theater). Selected Regional Credits include productions at Portland Center Stage, Theaterworks Hartford, Ford’s Theatre, The Old Globe, Cleveland Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Sarasota Opera, The MUNY, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Goodspeed Musicals. Tours: James Taylor’s One Man Band, ELLA, Motherhood the Musical.  Michael recently designed productions of Marie Antoinette The Musical and Phantom for EMK International in Seoul, South, Korea.  www.msportfolio.com

 

 LINDA CHO (Costume Design) Goodspeed debut:  A Little Night Music.  Broadway: A Gentlemen’s Guide… (Tony Award), Anastasia (Tony, Drama Desk, and  Outer Critics Circle nominations), Velocity of Autumn.  Over 200 Regional/International design credits in Theatre, Dance, and Opera. Recipient of numerous awards including the Irene Sharaff Young Master Award and The Ruth Morley Design Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women.  Upcoming productions include The Ring Cycle (Seattle Opera), Samson et Delila (Metropolitan Opera), Sovereignty (Arena Stage), Father Comes Home From The Wars (Goodman), A Walk on the Moon (ACT), The Way of the World (Folger).  Serves on the American Theatre Wing's Advisory Committee.

 
 JOHN LASITER (Lighting Design) Connecticut: Goodspeed (La Cage aux Folles, Fiddler on the Roof, The Most Happy Fella, 1776, Big River, Camelot, Carnival!, Annie Get Your Gun, Show Boat, City of Angels, Hello! My Baby, Carousel), Long Wharf, Hartford Stage, TheaterWorks.  Broadway: High. Off-Broadway:  Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn, Alarm Dog Repertory Company, Blue Light Theater Company, Music Theatre Group. Regional: Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Arizona Repertory, Asolo Repertory, Centerstage Baltimore, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Play House, Dallas Theater Center, Florida Stage, George Street Playhouse, Geva, Milwaukee Repertory, The Muny, New Mexico Repertory, Northlight, Pittsburgh Public, South Coast Repertory, Syracuse Stage, Virginia Stage. www.johnlasiter.com
 
LUKE CANTARELLA (Projection Design) is pleased to making his debut at Goodspeed Musicals with Rags. He has designed scenery and projections for many theaters in the United States, including the A.R.T., Yale Repertory Theatre, Seattle Rep, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Irish Rep, Atlantic Theater, and many others. He has designed over twenty productions at Hartford’s TheaterWorks, many directed by Rob Ruggiero. Luke is an Associate Professor of Design at Pace University, graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and member of Wingspace Theatrical Collective. Instagram: lukecantarella
 
JAY HILTON (Sound Design) is pleased to continue his long association with Goodspeed Musicals. Jay has designed countless productions at both The Goodspeed and The Terris Theatre in Chester. His work has also been heard on Broadway, National Tours, and at Regional Theatres from coast to coast. In addition to being Goodspeed’s Resident Sound Designer, Jay also serves as their Audio Supervisor. He and his wife, Goodspeed Line Producer Donna Lynn Hilton, make their home (and garden) in Hadlyme, Connecticut.
 
MARK ADAM RAMPMEYER (Wig & Hair Designer) is very happy to return to Goodspeed for this production. His work has been seen here in Anything Goes, Bye Bye Birdie, and Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, 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. Regional: Christmas on the Rocks ’14 and ‘15 for TheaterWorks and Romeo and Juliet at Hartford Stage Company. He is the recipient of a 2010 Drama Desk Award for his contributions to the creative team for Horton Foote’s Orphans’ Home Cycle at Signature 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*
 

RON PIRETTI (Fight Director) On Broadway, Ron was the Fight Choreographer for The Last Ship,West Side Story,In the Heights, The Miracle Worker, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (additional fight direction), and The Performers. As an actor, Ron appeared as Officer Krupke in the Broadway production of West Side Story; He recently was in the Off-Broadway production of The Traveling Lady at the Cherry Lane Theatre. He has performed at Regional Theatres in such roles as A Clown in 39 Steps, as well as appearing in Film and TV. He currently teaches acting at The Barrow Group in NYC.

 
DAN DeLANGE (Orchestrator) Dan’s work was recently heard in the West End's production of Show Boat that was nominated for Best Musical Revival at the 2017 Olivier Awards in London. He 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, London's West End, 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
 
 DAVID LOUD (Vocal Arrangements) served as Music Director for the Broadway premiere of The Visit.  Other Broadway credits: The Scottsboro Boys, Sondheim on Sondheim, Curtains, Ragtime, A Class Act, Steel Pier, and revivals of Porgy and Bess, She Loves Me, Company, and Sweeney Todd.  Off-Broadway:  The World Goes ‘Round.  He originated the role of Manny in Terrence McNally’s Master Class (starring Zoe Caldwell) and made his Broadway debut in Harold Prince’s original 1981 production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.  He is a graduate of Yale University and is currently teaching at the Manhattan School of Music.


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