The Will Rogers Follies Cast and Creative Team
CAST
 RILEY BRIGGS (Mary Rogers) is thrilled to be returning to The Goodspeed after last being seen as Beth in A Wonderful Life. Riley was also lucky enough to be cast as the understudy for Young Anya in Hartford Stage’s world premiere production of Anastasia. Riley is very grateful to her family and friends for their constant support. She would also like to thank Goodspeed Musicals for another amazing opportunity. Riley is most excited to be in another production with her younger sister and her stage brother Ben! Riley enjoys traveling and her new school, The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Middle School. She hopes you enjoy the performance! |
 DEWEY CADDELL* (Wiley Post) A graduate of the great University of Missouri, Dewey lives and works in NYC as an actor, concert tenor, and comedian. Some of his favorite credits include Finian’s Rainbow (Irish Rep), The Story Pirates! (Worldwide), Brigadoon (Iroquois Amphitheatre), and Dear World (York). Dewey is a proud member of Actors' Equity, prouder husband to Tammy, and can be found at www.thedewey.com. |
 BRENDAN REILLY HARRIS (James Rogers) is thrilled to make his Goodspeed debut. Regional credits include A Christmas Carol (Boy Scrooge, Hartford Stage) and Joseph...Dreamcoat (ACT of CT). Brendan also appeared in Mary Poppins (Michael Banks) and The Who’s Tommy (Young Tommy) with Warner Stage Company. Select favorite roles include The Jungle Book (Mowgli), My Son Pinocchio (Pinocchio), Peter Pan (Michael Darling). Big thanks to the production team for this awesome opportunity and to Dan and Mrs. Richmond for the inspiration and continued support! |
 NATHAN HORNE (Freddy Rogers) is thrilled to be making his Goodspeed debut! Area credits include Phantom (Young Erik), The Christmas Elf (Jacob), Hairspray (Ensemble), and A Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim) with Downtown Cabaret Theatre; Peter Pan (Michael) with New Paradigm Theatre; Beauty and the Beast (Ensemble) with Curtain Call; and Pantochino's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (The Boy). Nathan would like to thank his musical family for encouraging his love of entertaining and lifting others! |
 BROOKE LACY* (Ziegfeld’s Favorite) is beyond honored to be making her Goodspeed debut! What a dream come true!! She was just seen playing one of the Gemini Twins in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s A Funny Thing…Forum. Favorite credits/theaters include Inga in Young Frankenstein, Dance Captain/Ensemble in Spamalot, and Funny Girl (North Shore Music Theatre); Julie Jordan in Carousel (University of Oklahoma); The Will Rogers Follies (Maltz Jupiter Theatre); and full seasons at Pittsburgh CLO and MTWichita. BFA Musical Theatre, University of Oklahoma. Lots of love and gratitude to Don and Kelli, her amazing family, and to HCKR, the best agents ever! www.brookelacy.com |
 DAVID M. LUTKEN* (Will Rogers) Broadway: Inherit the Wind, Ring of Fire, The Civil War, The Will Rogers Follies. Off-Broadway: Woody Sez, Southern Comfort, Stars in Your Eyes, Winter Man. London: Woody Sez, Dark of the Moon, Bonnie & Clyde, A Month in the Country. He has performed on The Louisiana Hayride, at The 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, Cooper Union, Lincoln Center, and the Ryman Auditorium. Regional: Man of La Mancha, Elmer Gantry, Pump Boys & Dinettes, On Golden Pond, Lost Highway, Buddy, Fire on the Mountain, and many more. Goodspeed: Honky Tonk Highway (Terris Theatre), Finian’s Rainbow, and Big River. With his original show Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie (Helen Hayes and Joseph Jefferson Best Actor awards), David has played 65 cities around the world. |
 JAMES NAUGHTON* (Voice of Ziegfeld) is a two-time Tony Award winner for his work in the Broadway productions of Chicago and City of Angels. Film credits include Equity, The Word, The Devil Wears Prada, Childless, Factory Girl, Suburban Girl, The Good Mother, The Glass Menagerie, The Paper Chase, First Kid, A Stranger is Watching, The First Wives Club, Second Wind, and Labour Pains. Television: Odd Mom Out, The Affair, The Blacklist, Hostages, Out of Practice, Travellin’ Man, Necessity, The Bunker, The Birds II, The Return of Cagney and Lacey, Who’s the Boss, Ally McBeal, Damages, and Gossip Girl. Other Broadway credits include Democracy, Prymate, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, I Love My Wife, Whose Life is it Anyway?, Drinks Before Dinner, and Losing Time. Naughton directed Broadway productions of Our Town and the Tony-nominated production of The Price. He was awarded the 1999 MAC Award as best male vocalist for his one-man concert show Street of Dreams, presented by Mike Nichols, and recorded his CD It’s About Time for DRG records. |
 WILLIAM PARRY* (Clem Rogers) is pleased to return to Goodspeed, where he appeared at The Goodspeed in High Button Shoes and at The Terris Theatre in The Gig, Goodsports, and Blanco!. On Broadway, his credits include last season’s Groundhog Day; James Lapine & Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George and Passion, both filmed for PBS; Agamemnon at Lincoln Center; Gypsy with Bernadette Peters; Camelot (understudy to Richard Burton and Richard Harris); and the original Jesus Christ Superstar. Off-Broadway: original productions of Sondheim’s Assassins and Road Show, Dessa Rose at Lincoln Center, among others. National Tours: A Few Good Men, Memphis, and Titanic (Captain E.J. Smith). Some 50 regional productions. Numerous TV and Film credits. |
 BEN STONE-ZELMAN (Will Rogers Jr.) is thrilled to return to Goodspeed! Regional credits: Goodspeed’s Bye Bye Birdie (Randolph) and A Wonderful Life (Tommy Bailey), Hartford Stage’s A Christmas Carol (Boy Scrooge, Fred’s Son). Additional credits: To Kill a Mockingbird (Dill), Mary Poppins (Michael Banks), Little Mermaid (Flounder) at Thomaston Opera House; The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (Edmund) with Pearwater Productions; Ragtime (Little Boy) with Connecticut Theatre Company. Voiceover/Television: Nickelodeon’s Becca’s Bunch (premiering 2018), Gen-Z podcast Ghost of Jessica Majors (Luke Majors). |
 CATHERINE WALKER* (Betty Blake) Catherine is thrilled to be making her Goodspeed Debut! She was last seen on Broadway as Phoebe D’Ysquith in the 2014 Tony Award winning hit, A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder. Catherine made her Broadway debut with the original cast of Disney & Cameron McIntosh’s hit musical Mary Poppins, understudying the title role, and became Broadway's second "Mary", flying over the heads (and into the hearts) of Broadway audiences for over 100 performances. She left that production to join the original cast of the highly acclaimed Broadway revival of Ragtime. Catherine received her BFA in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University Many thanks to Don & all love to my amazing husband, Jacques. www.catherinewalker.biz |
 MICHAEL BIREN* (Ensemble) is thrilled to return to The Goodspeed. Previously at Goodspeed: Guys and Dolls and A Funny Thing…Forum. New York: Crazy For You (Lincoln Center), Revolution in the Elbow (Minetta Lane), Attack of the Elvis Impersonators (Lion Theatre). Tours: Billy Elliot (with Faith Prince), Cinderella (with Lea Salonga). Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse, Riverside Theatre, The Muny, Maine State, Fulton Opera House, Ogunquit Playhouse. Thanks to Don! Proud Equity Member. Love to DMSGSLB+L! |
 AARON BURR* (Ensemble) is a NYC based artist originally from South Carolina and is excited to be making his Goodspeed debut! Tours include Tap Dogs (International Tour), Dr. Dolittle featuring Tommy Tune (1st National Tour), and Rhythmic Circus (National Tour). Regional credits include Crazy For You, Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma!, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Singin’ in the Rain. Aaron would like to thank his family and teachers for their love and support. Follow: @tapburr |
 SARAH FAGAN* (Ensemble) is happy to return to Goodspeed after swinging the world premiere of Holiday Inn! National Tours: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, 42nd Street. Favorite regional credits: Goodspeed, MUNY, North Shore Music Theatre, The Palace Theatre, and Music Theatre Wichita. Proud graduate of Oklahoma City University. Thanks to my friends, my family, and my husband Layne for their incredible support! www.sarahfagandance.com |
 KAITLYN FRANK* (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making her Goodspeed debut! National Tour: Newsies (Sniper, u/s Katherine), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Film: Disney’s Newsies Live. NYC: Signature Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, City Center, Duke on 42nd, The Joyce. Regional: North Shore Music Theatre 42nd Street and Anything Goes, SITI Company's Cafe Variations. Love and thanks to everyone here at Goodspeed, Kelli Barclay, Eddie Rabon, David Rider, Mike Shultz, and her amazing family! www.KaitlynFrank.com |
 BRAD FRENETTE* (Ensemble) Goodspeed debut! Regional favorites include The Producers (Paper Mill Playhouse), South Pacific and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Stages St. Louis), and Sweeney Todd (Pennsylvania Centre Stage). He was also seen on the National Tour of Hello, Dolly! as well as the UK Tour of Madagascar. BFA: Penn State. Many thanks to Don, Kelli, Michael, Paul, and everyone at Goodspeed. |
 EMILY JEANNE PHILLIPS* (Ensemble) Goodspeed Debut! National Tours: Elf, the Musical (MSG). Off-Broadway: Attack of the Elvis Impersonators. Regional: The Producers (Paper Mill Playhouse), Crazy For You (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse); Consuelo, West Side Story and Mimi, Rent (Harbor Lights Theatre Co.); Funny Girl (North Shore Music Theatre); Beauty and the Beast (Ogunquit Playhouse); Cassie, A Chorus Line (Muhlenberg Summer Theater); Penny, Hairspray (Plays in the Park). Thanks to Gregg Baker, Paul Hardt, Stewart/Whitley, Don, Kelli, Amanda, and everyone at Goodspeed! Love to Dad and Becca! emilyjeannephillips.com |
 KELLY SHEEHAN* (Ensemble) Kelly was last seen on the Goodspeed stage as an Angel in Anything Goes. Broadway: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, 42nd Street. Regional credits include Oklahoma (Dream Laurey), Lady, Be Good, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, No, No, Nanette, and A Chorus Line (Sheila). Thanks to this creative team, the amazing Kelli Barclay and Goodspeed for having me back. Love to my awesome parents and the most handsome guy in town, Bryan Hunt! |
 KARILYN ASHLEY SURRATT* (Ensemble) So happy to return to Goodspeed after making her debut in Anything Goes (Virtue). Recently on FOX’s GOTHAM (costar) and in Milwaukee Rep’s Guys & Dolls (Martha/Ferguson/Lead Havana Dancer). Int’l Tour: West Side Story (Consuelo, Anita/Rosalia understudy). NYC: Rockettes (10 seasons), The Met Opera. BPA, OKCU. Full scoop: karilynashleysurratt.com and @ksurrattsurratt. Mvto to DC, Paul, Kelli, Carson Kolker, and The Goodspeed fam! |
 CAITLIN WILAYTO* (Ensemble) is so excited to be dancing on the Goodspeed stage! She grew up in Pepperell, Massachusetts and is a graduate of The Hartt School. She was last seen at Goodspeed as Janice in the FNM staged reading of Come From Away. Her credits include Judy in A Chorus Line (Riverside Theater, Westchester Broadway), Silly Girl in Beauty and the Beast (NSMT), and June in Gypsy (Coastal Carolina). Love to Mum, Dad, KG and BPS. @caitwilayt |
 BORRIS YORK* (Ensemble) Broadway/Tours: Holiday Inn, Pippin (Manson Trio). Regional: NJPAC, Muny, KCStarlight, Casa Mañana, Music Theatre of Wichita, Stages St. Louis. TV: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Smash (NBC). Special thanks to my manager Thomas Green and Stewart/Whitley Casting for this opportunity. Love to my incredibly courageous and inspiring family and friends. “Triumphant experiences are on the horizon." Instagram: @borrisanthonyyork |
 ELLA BRIGGS (Mary/James/Freddy Cover) is very excited to be in her third performance at The Goodspeed. She was last seen as Baby Frances in Chasing Rainbows and as Zuzu in A Wonderful Life. Ella would like to thank Goodspeed Musicals, her Mom and Dad (Gru and Chipelsa), her grandparents (Yaya and Bibi), her loving friends, YPCCA, and Melanie Guerin. She would especially like to thank her big sister, Riley, for always believing in her. She is extra excited to be in another show with Ben S-Z.! Ella loves animals. |
 MALLORY DAVIS (Swing) is thrilled to be making both her Goodspeed and swinging debut! National Tour: 42nd Street (Lorraine). Regional: Ogunquit Playhouse, North Shore Music Theatre, Gateway Playhouse, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. Training: Oklahoma City University. Huge thank you to the cast, crew, and creatives! As always, lot of love and thanks to Miss Kelli B!! ooooooWOW!! www.MalloryMDavis.com |
 PATRICK HEFFERNAN (Swing) is making his Goodspeed debut! National Tours: Fiddler on the Roof (Perchik), Anything Goes, and 42nd Street. Regional: Ogunquit Playhouse (White Christmas), Gateway Playhouse (42nd Street), Arts Center of Coastal Carolina (H2$), The John W. Engeman (Gypsy), and Mac-Haydn Theater. Patrick is originally from southern California and studied at Wagner College in NYC. While not performing, he enjoys practicing/teaching yoga, tap dancing, and eating chocolate chip cookies. |
CREATIVE TEAM
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DON STEPHENSON (Director) directed Guys and Dolls at Goodspeed;Titanic at Lincoln Center; Broadway Classics at Carnegie Hall; Of Mice and Manhattan for the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center; The Other Place at Alley Theatre; The Producers, Lend Me a Tenor, and Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike at Paper Mill Playhouse; Buyer and Cellar and Noises Off at Pittsburgh Public Theatre; How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Sister Act at the Marriott Theatre; The Cottage at Theatre Aspen; I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers at Theatreworks/Hartford; Titanic at The MUNY and Westchester Broadway Theatre; Deathtrap, Noises Off, and The 39 Steps at Flat Rock Playhouse; The Mystery of King Tut and Skippyjon Jones for Theatreworks/USA; and The Great Unknown for The New York Theatre Festival. BroadwayWorld nominations as “Best Director” for The Roar of the Greasepaint - the Smell of the Crowd (Goodspeed), Lend Me a Tenor (Bay Street Theatre), Titanic (Hangar Theatre), Struck (New Jersey Rep), and A Comedy of Tenors (Paper Mill Playhouse). He directed Oleanna, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Doctors and Diseases at the historic Barter Theatre and Attack of the Elvis Impersonators (Theatre Row), A Charles Dickens Christmas (Urban Stages), Buck Simple (Garrick Gaities), When Pigs Fly (Kaufman Theatre), Golden Voices (Symphony Space), and Old Flames (Theatre Studio Inc.). As an actor, Don played the D’Ysquith family in the Tony Award-winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and starred as Leo Bloom in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of The Producers. His other Broadway credits include Rock of Ages, Private Lives, Dracula, Titanic, Parade, By Jeeves, The Bandwagon, Pardon My English, and Wonderful Town. On television, he will be seen on upcoming episodes of The Americans and Deception. |
| KELLI BARCLAY (Choreographer) Goodspeed: How to Succeed…; My One And Only (CTCC Award for Best Choreography); Hello! My Baby; Hello, Dolly!; Damn Yankees; Anything Goes. NYC productions: Himself and Nora at the Minetta Lane Theatre, City Center’s Encore’s production of Pipe Dream. Associate Choreographer on four Broadway productions, RCMH Christmas Spectacular in Detroit. Most recently: Ogunquit Playhouse’s White Christmas, Dir./Chor. North Shore Music Theatre’s acclaimed production of 42nd St. Kelli also set London’s currrent award-winning West End production of 42nd St., working with Kate Middleton. Feature film: Made For Each Other. Extensive dance background and company work, including faculty at American Ballet Theater NYC Dance Intensive. www.KelliBarclay.com |
| MICHAEL O'FLAHERTY (Music Director) is in his 27th 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’s Terris Theatre in Chester again this fall. |
| WALT SPANGLER (Scenic Design) Goodspeed: The Smell of The Greasepaint - The Roar of The Crowd, Happy Days, Camille Claudel, Flight of The Lawnchair Man, Heartland. Broadway: Escape To Margaritaville, Tuck Everlasting, Desire Under the Elms, Scandalous, A Christmas Story, Hollywood Arms. Walt designs for theater, opera, and dance around the nation and around the globe. |
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ILONA SOMOGYI (Costume Design) Goodspeed: Anything Goes. Broadway: Clybourne Park. Recent: Oklahoma! (Glimmerglass); Assassins (Yale Rep); Seder, Heartbreak House, Cloud Nine (Hartford Stage); Disgraced (Long Wharf & Huntington). Off-Broadway: Sleep (RipeTime); Nice Fish starring Mark Rylance (A.R.T. & St Ann’s); Gloria, A Soldier’s Tale (Carnegie Hall); My Name is Asher Lev. Regional: Grey Gardens (starring Betty Buckley & Rachel York); Carousel, Smokey Joe’s Café (Arena Stage); Pride and Prejudice (Center Stage Baltimore); Passion Play, We Have Always Lived at the Castle (Yale Rep). MFA and Faculty Yale School of Drama. |
| ROB DENTON (Lighting Design) is thrilled to return to Goodspeed. Last season he lit Thoroughly Modern Millie. Rob’s recent designs include Daughter of the Regiment (Atlanta Opera); South Pacific (Maltz Jupiter Theatre); A Chorus Line, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (The Muny); The Humans and A Christmas Carol (Repertory Theatre of St Louis); The Wolves and Sunset Baby (TheaterWorks); Carmen (Madison Opera), The Barber of Seville (Opera San Antonio). Some of Rob’s upcoming designs include La Boheme (Opera San Antonio) and The Wiz, Jersey Boys, Meet Me in St. Louis (The Muny). www.rdentex.com |
| MICHAEL CLARK (Projection Design) Michael designs film and video for live events. Credits include Jersey Boys, 700 Sundays, Dracula, The Musical (Broadway and La Jolla); The Elephant Man (Broadway); Manon Lescaut (Washington Opera); Allegro, One Red Flower, and Hedwig (Signature Theatre); The Last Five Years (Philadelphia Theater Company); Company, Sunday in the Park With George, and Merrily We Roll Along (Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration); Spider-Man Live, Aeros (National Tour); Music From a Sparkling Planet (Drama Dept); and Dinner with Friends (ACT). |
| 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) has designed more than 20 productions for Goodspeed Musicals including 42nd Street, La Cage aux Folles, and Oklahoma!. As a stylist he was fortunate enough to be a part of the Broadway productions of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Sunset Boulevard, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and 42nd Street. Other design credits include Broadway: West Side Story, Lysistrata Jones, The Farnsworth Invention. Off-Broadway: The Toxic Avenger, Horton Foote’s Orphans’ Home Cycle, and The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore with Olympia Dukakis. Regional: The Legend of Georgia McBride and Christmas on the Rocks for TheaterWorks and many productions for Hartford Stage Company. He is the recipient of a 2010 Drama Desk Award for Horton Foote’s Orphans’ Home Cycle at Signature Theatre Company. Thanks to all for their continued support on this journey. *peep* |
| DAN DeLANGE (Orchestrator) This is Dan's 20th year and 50th show at Goodspeed Musicals. His work was heard in the West End's production of Show Boat and was nominated for Best Musical Revival at the 2017 Olivier Awards in London. He has orchestrated for Manhattan Concert Productions at Carnegie Hall, The Jim Henson Company, Julie Andrews, Rosie O'Donnell, Live Theatricals at Universal Studios, and composers Paul Williams, Jerry Herman, Harvey Schmitt, Charles Strouse, Stephen Schwartz, 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. 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.
