Spring Awakening Bios

Cast

Richard Chan (Otto) is a Richmond native and currently a Theatre Performance major at Virginia Commonwealth University. Richard is enthralled to be in his first Barksdale/Theatre IV production. Having just performed at Theatre VCU's 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Jesus), his previous credits include TheatreVCU's Grease (Ensemble Understudy), Richmond Triangle Players's stage reading of The Men from the Boys (Rick), Firehouse Theatre's The Pillowman (Ensemble), and Roanoke Children's Theatre's Jack and the Wonderbeans (Narrator). Richard's musical direction can be seen in Roanoke Children's Theatre's Jack and the Wonderbeans and Sycamore Rogue's Reflections of a Black Cowboy.

Dan Cimo (Hanschen) is thrilled to make his Virginia Rep debut in Spring Awakening. Previous credits include: The Grinch/Yertle the Turtle in Seussical the Musical (Theatre IV), Doody in Grease (TheatreVCU), Hunter in [title of show] (2011 RTCC Award for Best Musical; Richmond Triangle Players), Jeffrey in Godspell (Cadence Theatre Company), and Cousin Kevin in The Who's Tommy (TheatreVCU). A recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Theatre Performance, Dan was honored to make the world premier of his one man show Queenliness is Next to Godliness at Richmond Triangle Players, which will be hitting the stage again in the near future.

Kyle Cornell (Ensemble; u/s Melchior, Hanschen, Georg) is thrilled to be making his debut at the November Theatre! Kyle was last seen as Peter in Richmond Triangle Player's staged reading of Bare: a pop opera. Other credits include Grease! (Roger), Animal Farm (Squealer), Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead (C.B.), and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Charlie Brown). Kyle is a proud recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University.

D.J. Cummings (Ensemble; u/s Moritz, Ernst, Otto) is ecstatic to be performing on stage at the November Theatre for the first time. Favorite past credits include bare: a Pop Opera (Jason), My Favorite Year (Benjy Stone), Disney's High School Musical (Ensemble), & Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour US/Ensemble). After taking classes in theatre performance at Radford University, D. J. now lives and works in Richmond spending his spare time writing and recording original music. He looks forward to reprising the role of Jason in bare: a Pop Opera next summer at Richmond Triangle Players. Congratulations to an amazing company! Love and thanks to family, friends, and Kyle for their continued support.

Lucy Dacus (Ensemble; u/s Ilse, Martha) was last seen on this stage in the ensemble of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in 2008. Other credits include Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden at Dogwood Dell, the ensemble of The Music Man with HTC, and the opening ceremonies of CenterStage with Theatre IV. Recently, she has been focusing on her schooling at Maggie Walker and playing music around Richmond.

Gigi Galiffa (Martha) is thrilled to return to the Richmond stage after attending James Madison University for the past four years, where she majored in Music Education. She appeared in JMU’s productions of Songs for a New World, Kiss Me Kate, Brights Lights, Big City, and Sweeney Todd. In Richmond, she was last seen in Theatre IV’s Peter Pan and Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter. Gigi would like to thank her incredible family and friends for their endless love and support. Love you all!

Allison Gillman (Ensemble; u/s Wendla, Thea, Anna) is thrilled to be a part of this stellar production. She was last seen here at the November Theatre playing the title character (et al) in The Stinky Cheese Man. Other favorite shows include Barksdale's The Grapes of Wrath (Ruthie Joad), Firehouse/KDance's Inconsolable (Daughter), A Very Merry...Scientology Pageant (Auditor), SPARC's Into the Woods (Little Red), You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Snoopy) and Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit). Allison can next be seen as Lauren in Full Circle Theatre's production of From Up Here this August. She will be attending Emerson College in Boston as a theatre performance major in the fall.

Oliver Houser (Melchior) recently graduated from LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts (the “Fame School”), where he played Iago in Othello and Wilbur in Hairspray. He began his career performing with the New York City Opera as a child and appeared in many productions, including Marc Lamos’ celebrated staging of Il Re Pasotre for the Mostly Mozart Festival. TV credits include What Would You Do? (ABC), Phowned (Spike TV) and Life on the Line (Oxygen) starring Ally Sheedy. He is a voice over artist with CityVox Productions and is majoring in music composition at Hunter College.

Christie Jackson (Ilse) has spent the past year performing at various regional theatres in Virginia, and is thrilled to be getting her bearings in the “real” world of theatre post college graduation in 2011 (James Madison University). Christie has been seen in several other Barksdale/Theatre IV shows (Disney’s High School Musical, My Fair Lady), as well as Richmond Triangle Players’ concert reading of Bare: A Pop Opera (Ivy), and Riverside Center’s production of All Shook Up (Natalie). University Credits: Arcadia (KCACTF Irene Ryan Award nominee, Hannah Jarvis), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (KCACTF Irene Ryan Award nominee , Suzanne), What the Butler Saw (Geraldine), Metamorphoses (Eurydice), Ubu Roi (Pile), and The Pillowman (Mother). Christie is honored to have had the opportunity to dive into one of her dream roles, and would like to thank Chase for the opportunity. Love to Mom! www.christie-jackson.com

Erin Long (Anna) is a native of Lock Haven, PA and just finished up her junior year as a Musical Theatre major at Shenandoah Conservatory. Roles at SU include Kristine (A Chorus Line), Ingrid (Peer Gynt), & Lass (The Who’s Tommy). Regional theatre roles include Echo (Eleemosynary), Wendy (Peter Pan), & Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz). She is thrilled to making her Barksdale Theatre debut in a show that she loves so much!

Josh Marin (Georg) just graduated from Theatre VCU and is looking forward to jump starting his career. His Credits include: local commercials and movies, Chicago as the M.C., Ain’t Misbehavin’ as Ken, Rent as Benny, The Who’s Tommy as ensemble, Grease as Kenickie, the VA premiere of Lord of the Flies as Bill and most recently he was in Theatre IV's Seussical as a Wickersham Brother. He just got back from a very successful senior showcase in NY and plans to move there in the fall. Josh is honored to be wrapping up this chapter of his life in Richmond with Barksdale. He would like to thank his family for their prayers and support, friends for encouragement and God for the blessing of theatre that we can all enjoy!

John Mincks (Moritz) is a rising junior at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is excited to return to the November Theater stage after previously appearing in Theatre IV's productions of A Christmas Carol and Seussical at age 12. Favorite stage credits include: Troilus and Cressida (Troilus) and Lord of the Flies (Henry) for Henley Street Theater company, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck) for Richmond Shakespeare, and Into The Woods (The Baker) for SPARC. In his spare time he is the lead singer of local indie-rock band, Parlour Shakedown. He would like to thank his large, loving family and his girlfriend Mary Beth for all of their support.

Daniel Moore (The Adult Men) is a Richmond-based actor, director and acting teacher. He has worked with Barksdale Theatre, Richmond Triangle Players, Essential Theatre, TheatreVirginia, Mill Mountain Theatre, Storefront Actor’s Theatre, The Production Company, Park Square Theatre, Portland Stage Company and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among others. Favorite directing credits include Rabbit Hole, American Buffalo, Boom Town, Buried Child, Who’s Happy Now?, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Weeping Mary, Three Sisters, and Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Favorite roles as an actor include Steve in Becky’s New Car, James in Circle Mirror Transformation, Alex in Facing East, Earl in The Late Henry Moss, Tilden in Buried Child, Martin in The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, Jerry in Blessed Assurance,Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, James Joyce in Travesties, Buford Bullough in F.M., and Weasel in T-Bone n’ Weasel. He is the author of Allegheny Sideshow, a two-act tragic comedy. He teaches adult acting classes at Firehouse Theatre.

Susan Sanford (The Adult Women) was most recently seen as Mayzie La Bird in Theatre IV's "Seussical". Other roles this season include Veronica in "God of Carnage" and Maria in "Lend Me a Tenor" (Barksdale Theatre), A bird, turtle and squirrel in "A Year With Frog and Toad" at Theatre IV, and Berthe in "Boeing Boeing" (Hanover Tavern, RTCC nomination),. You may also have seen Susan in the most recent VA Lottery commercials ("It's Grillin' Season!"). Her work as a director include "Ferdinand the Bull", "The Song of Mulan" and "Tuck Everlasting" for Theatre IV, and "The 1940's Radio Hour" for Barksdale Theatre. Susan won the 2010 RTCC award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as the Baroness in "The Sound of Music". Susan and her husband, Actor/Director Foster Solomon, will be moving to Charlotte in August, but will miss Richmond very much. Love to Trey and Jordan!

Ali Thibodeau (Wendla) is beyond thrilled to be a piece in this beautiful show that has inspired so many. Favorite credits include Seussical (Bird Girl, Co Choreographer), Sound of Music (Liesl), The BFG, and Peter Pan (Tigerlily) with Theatre IV, Thoroughly Modern Millie (Miss Dorothy, RTCC award- Best Supporting Actress in a Musical), My Fair Lady (Ensemble, Dance Captain), White Christmas (Rita) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Dance Captain, Ensemble) with Barksdale Theatre, Keep On the Sunny Side (Janette Carter) at Swiftcreek Mill Theatre, and Nor'mal (Polly) with Stage 1 Theatre Co. Endless thanks and love to Chase, Sandy, Starr, Bruce, Phil, and this incredible cast and crew.

Owen Wingo (Ernst) A rising senior Musical Theatre major at James Madison University, Owen is thrilled to be back in Richmond and working at Barksdale Theatre. His regional credits include Big River (Huck Finn u/s), Chicago (Aaron, Featured Dancer), Sound of Music (Rolf u/s) and As You Like It (Silvius). At James Madison University, Owen was most recently seen in Sweeney Todd, Arcadia (Gus/Augustus), Bobrauschenbergamerica (Carl), and the American premiere of Carmel Dean’s new song-cycle A Girl Called Vincent.

Elizabeth Wyld (Thea) is delighted to be making her Barksdale/Theatre IV debut in such an incredible show. A native of Warrenton, Virginia, Elizabeth is a Senior Musical Theatre major at Shenandoah Conservatory, where she was most recently seen in Pride and Prejudice (Kitty) and in Metamorphoses (Myrrha/Alcyone). Previous theatre credits include Lizzy Cratchit/Fan in A Christmas Carol (Wayside Theatre), and The Child in the premiere of Crossing, directed by Eric Schaeffer through Signature Theatre. Love and thanks to her family, at home and at Shenandoah. Special thanks to Hart and Henry Management and to Emily.

Creative

Chase Kniffen (Director) is the Associate Artistic Director of Virginia Repertory Theatre (formerly Barksdale Theatre & Theatre IV), where he most recently Directed the hit production of Seussical. Chase won the 2010 and 2011 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his work on Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV’s productions of The Sound of Music and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Additional directing credits include The Big Friendly Giant, A Christmas Carol, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, The True Story of Pocahontas, A Christmas Story, Grease and Disney’s High School Musical. As the Artistic Director of Richmond’s Stage 1 Theatre Company, Chase Directed and Choreographed productions of tick, tick…BOOM!, Children’s Letters to God, nor-mal and Summer of ’42. In 2009, Chase was honored as one of Style Weekly’s Top 40 Under 40. Love to Ali.

Sandy Dacus (Music Director / Keyboards) has been involved with Richmond theater for over 15 years. She was most recently seen on a baby grand piano playing for Barksdale Theatre's My Fair Lady last December. Some Barksdale / Theatre IV music direction credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2011 Richmond Theater Critics Circle award), The Sound Of Music (2010), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2009), Guys and Dolls (2008 RTCC award), The Wizard of Oz (2007), and You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (2005). Sandy has also worked with Swift Creek Mill Playhouse, Henrico Theater Company, and The Dogwood Dell Festival of the Arts. When she isn't at the theater, she is teaching music at Kersey Creek Elementary School, leading worship at All Souls Episcopal Church, and being "Mom" to Lucy and Charlie.

Starrene Foster (Choreographer) ,a Richmond native, is a choreographer, dancer and educator as well as the Artistic Director of Starr Foster Dance Project. Foster was awarded Richmond’s Most Prestigious 25 Arts Innovators as well as The Top 40 under 40 by Richmond's Style Weekly. She is the 2006 recipient of the Theresa Pollack Award for Artistic Excellence and her dance company has been featured on the PBS broadcast Virginia Currents. Starrene is presently in her thirteenth year as a faculty member at VCU, where she is the beneficiary of the 2003 VCU Star Alumni Award. With much acclaim throughout the country, Ms. Foster's work has been commissioned and presented nationally, including The Philadelphia Fringe Festival (PA), SUNY Buffalo (NY), The Jack Guidone Theatre (DC), University of Richmond (VA), the American Dance Festival (NC), Old Dominion University (VA), Cornell University (NY), The Richmond Ballet (VA),The Goose Route Dance Festival (WV), The New World School (FL), the Demetrius Klein Dance Festival (FL), Dance Charlotte (NC), and the Festival of Choreography (NC). Starrene also holds a faculty position at the Richmond Ballet and teaches master classes nationally from Seattle to Virginia. www.sfdproject.org

Brian C. Barker (Scenic/ Projection Designer) lives here in Richmond, VA. He teaches at VCU and Designs for the NY based firm, Gipson Design Group. He has designed productions for Live Television, Marketing Events, and Trade-shows as well as Regional Theatre. Notable projects include the American Express Experience at the 2011 US Open, “Verizon Studios” in the Mets CitiField, and the design of NY4's "LX New York." He earned an MFA from the University of Tennessee. His theatre work was exhibited at the 2007 Prague Quadrennial, the theatre community’s most prestigious design exhibition. Favorite theatre designs include The Velveteen Rabbit at Theatre IV, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Barksdale Theatre (2011 RTCC award winner), Born Yesterday, and Big River at The Clarence Brown Theatre (LORT D). He would like to extend many thanks to all his friends and family and especially to his wife Nicole; your support means the world. See more of his work at BrianCBarker.com.

Sarah Grady (Costume Designer) is the Assistant Costume Director for Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre. Designs include: God of Carnage, Circle Mirror Transformation, Children of a Lesser God, Brooklyn Boy, Scapino & Patchwork (Barksdale Theatre), A Winter’s Tale (Henley Street & Richmond Shakespeare) Sound of Music (Theatre IV & Barksdale Theatre) a RTCC nominee for Best Costume Design. The BFG, Annie, A Christmas Story (Theatre IV), Children’s Letters to God & Tick, Tick…Boom! (Stage 1 Theatre Company). For three lucky summers, Sarah traveled to Roma, Italy to work with the Operafestival di Roma to coordinate costumes for The Magic Flute, Suor Angelica, The Marriage of Figaro & Die Fledermaus.

Lynne M. Hartman (Lighting Designer) most recently designed lighting for Scorched Earth (world premiere), God of Carnage, My Fair Lady and Lend Me A Tenor for Barksdale. Other Barksdale designs include The Clean House, Intimate Apparel, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, White Christmas, Shipwrecked! The Little Dog Laughed, The Member of The Wedding, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Proof. Designs for Barksdale (Hanover Tavern) include Becky’s New Car, On Golden Pond, Das Barbecu, and The Glass Menagerie. Designs for Theatre IV include Seussical ,The Musical, The Stinky Cheese Man, The BFG, Honk!, The Song of Mulan, The Beauty and The Beast, Sing Down The Moon, and A Christmas Carol . Lynne was awarded the 2011 and 2010 Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design by the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle for The Legacy of Light (Barksdale) and The Sound of Music (a co-production of Theatre IV and Barksdale Theatre). She also received several Phoebe Awards for Lighting Design. A freelance designer based in Norfolk, Lynne is a member of United Scenic Artists, Local 829. She was the Resident Lighting Designer for TheatreVirginia for several seasons and has designed locally for CenterStage, Carpenter Science Theatre Company, Richmond Ballet, Theatre VCU and Dogwood Dell among others. Regionally, design credits include The Lost Colony, Porthouse Theatre, The McCarter Theatre, Auburn University, University of South Carolina, and the Kings Dominion and Carowinds theme parks. Lynne held a Fellowship in Theatre at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and was educated at University of Mary Washington and University of Maryland. Lynne thanks David, Meredith, Allison & Keith for their love, patience and support.

Derek Dumais (Sound Designer/ Mixer) is on staff at Virginia Repertory Theatre as Audio/Video Supervisor. A Richmond native, Derek graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a BFA in Theatre Design with an emphasis on Sound Design. He was the recipient of the 2010 and 2011 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award for Sound Design for his work on Barksdale Theatre's productions of The Sound of Music and White Christmas respectively. Favorite design credits include Legacy of Light, Shipwrecked!, This Wonderful Life, The Three Sisters, Metamorphoses, and Breath, Boom. Derek has previously designed and mixed sound for productions including Seussical, My Fair Lady, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Annie, Guys and Dolls, Peter Pan, and Disney’s High School Musical. He is currently working on his first music release, exploring the use of field recordings and ambient music. He sends his love to his wife, Shelley.

Stacey Cabaj (Voice, Speech and Text Coach) earned her BFA in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory and her MFA in Voice and Speech Pedagogy from VCU. As an actress, she’s performed on stages across North America and Europe, most recently as Ruth Sutton in Firehouse Theatre’s Dessa Rose. She has also starred in numerous indie films and appeared on Canadian network television in Mentors, Smart Ask, Triple Sensation, and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? As a vocal coach, her recent credits include: My Fair Lady, Lend Me a Tenor and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Barksdale), The Merchant of Venice (Henley Street Theatre), Shakespeare’s R&J, Henry V, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (VCU).

Wendy Vandergrift (Stage Manager) A graduate of New York’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Wendy has been a denizen of the theatre world for far too many years to count (and it’s not polite to ask). One would be hard pressed to find something that she hasn’t done related to the stage...well, she can’t play the violin, but she can fill in for the drummer in a pinch! Her dream role: Kate, Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Until then, she’ll keep busy as Assistant Technical Director for Virginia Rep. As always, she thanks her two MBV’s and her family for their love and support.