Ring of Fire: Meet the Cast, Designers & Creators

RICHARD MALTBY, JR.

Richard Maltby, Jr. includes among his Broadway credits: Conceived/Directed Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1978 Tony, NY Drama Critics, Outer Critics and Drama Desk Awards. Also Tony Award for Best Director); Fosse (1999 Tony, Outer Critics and Drama Desk Awards). Lyricist: Miss Saigon (Evening Standard Award 1990, Tony Nomination for Best Score 1991). Director and Co-lyricist of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Song & Dance, 1986 (Tony Award for star Bernadette Peters). With composer David Shire: Director/Lyricist Baby, 1983 (book by Sybille Pearson; seven Tony Award nominations); Lyricist: Big, 1996 (book by John Weidman. Tony nomination: Best Score). Off-Broadway credits: Director/Lyricist Starting Here, Starting Now, 1977 (Grammy Award nomination); Closer Than Ever, 1989 (Outer Critics Circle Awards: Best Musical, Best Score). Contributes devilish crossword puzzles to Harpers Magazine. Son of well-known orchestra leader; married to Janet Brenner; five children: Nicholas, David, Jordan, Emily and Charlotte.

WILLIAM MEADE

Bill Meade began his career as a musician. He has been a featured soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Zurich Philharmonic, Prague Philharmonic, and Jacksonville Symphony. He has produced concerts throughout the U.S. and Europe with artists ranging from Arlo Guthrie to BB Kind. Television: “The Miss America Pageant,” “The Super Bowl Half Time Show,” “Sex and The City,” “Love Monkey,” and “Sesame Street.” On Broadway, he has been involved with more than 50 musicals. He is a Grammy-nominated record producer with a wide range of theatrical releases to his credit, from Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing to Elegies by William Finn.

TIMOTHY E. BRUMMUND

Timothy is an accomplished theatre, voice-over and film/TV actor and is a graduate of the Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts Program. Career highlights include The 39 Steps and Guys and Dolls (Chemainus Theatre Festival), Mamma Mia (Mirvish Productions), West Side Story (Vancouver Opera), The Light in the Piazza (PSP), Little Shop of Horrors (Citadel Theatre/Arts Club). This show is dedicated to a young cowboy who left us to soon… Eric Lehmann. Always for Lindy XOXO.

SCOTT CARMICHAEL

Scott Carmichael is delighted to be making his Chemainus Theatre Festival debut. An actor and musician, Scott is a veteran of seven productions of Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Arts Club, Stage West Calgary, Magnus Theatre, Sudbury Theatre Centre, Theatre Aquarius). Selected other theatre include Sleuth, 12 Angry Men, Blood Brothers, The 39 Steps, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Rose Theatre), Doubt, and Urinetown, The Musical (Georgetown Globe). Favourite role: Father to his son, Jaden.

ANDREA CROSS

Andrea is thrilled to be making her Chemainus Theatre debut. Favourite theatre credits include three national tours of The Big Picture (Arts Engine, Brookstone), and four years with the critically acclaimed musical 2000 Candles (Arts Engine). Andrea is also the Education Coordinator at Chemainus Theatre Festival and loves sharing her passion for theatre with children all over Vancouver Island. Thanks Alana, Conor & Paul! www.andreacross.com

SAMANTHA CURRIE

Samantha is a graduate of the AMDA in New York. Select credits include: Eve in Waiting for the Parade (Chemainus Theatre Festival); Blanche in Brighton Beach Memoirs (Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre); Zerbinette in Delicious Lies (Chemainus Theatre Festival); and Marian Paroo in The Music Man (TUTS). She also teaches theatre and musical theatre at Adage Studios. Special thanks to Mark, Zach and among her klediments, her family, Alex, Cecilia and her autoharp.

T. ERIN GRUBER

Set & Projection Designer

T. Erin Gruber is an independent theatre designer with experience in set, lighting, costume and projected media design. She holds a degree in Theatre Design from the University of Alberta and is a founding member of the ShowStages video collective, a group expanding the boundaries of projected media role in theatre (www.showstages.com). For more information: www.eringruber.com.

CRYSTAL HANSON

Costume Designer

Crystal is a graduate of the Fashion Design & Technology Program at Kwantlen University College. Past costume designs at the Chemainus Theatre Festival include Waiting for the Parade, All Shook Up (Gateway Theatre co-production), Countryside Christmas, and Ah, Wilderness! She would like to thank her parents for their support and encouragement in what probably seemed an impractical career path at the time.

REBEKAH JOHNSON

Lighting Designer

It is always a pleasure to design at the Chemainus Theatre. Past favourites include Buddy:The Buddy Holly Story and The Miracle Worker. Other recent work includes Gaslight ( Blue Bridge Theatre) and The Incomplete Folksinger (The Other Guys Theatre). Upcoming projects include MacBeth (Blue Bridge, where she is also the General/Theatre Manager). Rebekah has a BFA (Theatre) and an MFA (Visual Art) from UVic.

MARK MACRAE

Mark is excited not only to be making his Chemainus Theatre Festival debut in Ring of Fire, but also his Vancouver Island winter debut, which promises to be much warmer than he’s used to. This actor/singer/sailor/filmmaker was born in Fredericton and is now based in Toronto. Select Theatre: Music Man (Port Hope), Buddy Holly Story (Sudbury), Cabaret (Northern Stage); Film/TV: Covert Affairs. @Mark_MacRae. Proud member of CAEA & ACTRA.

JONAS SHANDEL

Singer, songwriter, musician and performer, Jonas now lives in Chemainus! He is best known as co-founder of the Vancouver band Headwater which for a decade has headlined festivals and concert halls throughout Canada and Europe. When Jonas received a call from Nashville, he was on the first plane to music city where he now co-writes material with the best in the business. Jonas has recorded a collection of classic country songs for this show. “Six Days on the Road” is available in the lobby after the show.

ZACHARY STEVENSON

Musical Director

Zachary is enjoying being home on the island for the third year running making his debut as musical director in Ring of Fire. An accomplished actor, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, audiences will recognize him best as “Buddy” having performed in ten productions of The Buddy Holly Story throughout North America including twice here in Chemainus. He has performed in Hank Williams: the Show He Never Gave, Red Rock Diner, FIRE, Urinetown, Hair, Assassins among others. Follow Zach on facebook or visit www.zacharystevenson.com.

ANNE TAYLOR

Stage Manager

Anne spent last season Stage Managing with Patrick Street Productions on Floyd Collins and Out of a Dream with the Arts Club Theatre Company as Assistant Stage Manager on Mary Poppins. Other recent and favourite productions include Stage Managing Blue Box with Nightswimming Theatre in Vancouver, The Light in the Piazza with Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon and Café Daughter with Gwaandak Theatre in Whitehorse.

PAUL TEDESCHINI

Sound Designer

Recent design credits include Gaslight (Bluebridge Theatre), Sherlock Holmes, Over The River and Through The Woods, Les Mis, Buddy, It’s A Wonderful Life (Chemainus Theatre Festival), Home Is A Beautiful Word ( The Belfry Theatre), Fresco (Shadbolt Centre / The Cultch), Noises Off (Western Canada Theatre), Circle Mirror Transformation (Arts Club Theatre). Upcoming ; 39 Steps (Western Canada Theatre), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (The Belfry Theatre).

KRAIG WAYE

Kraig is thrilled to be here in beautiful Chemainus. He has appeared all across Canada in theatrical shows such as Songs For A New World, The Wedding Singer, The Last Resort, Forever Plaid and The Buddy Holly Story to name a few. When not in theatre, Kraig is kept extremely busy working as a bassist/ vocalist for numerous bands/ensembles in southern Ontario. as always, love to Stephanie. enjoy the show!

MEL WATKINS

Apprentice Stage Manager

For the Chemainus: Debut. Elsewhere: Apprentice SM: A Bedfull of Foreigners, Lend me a Tenor and Lights, Camera, Christmas… (Upper canada Playhouse); On a First Name Basis, Henry and Alice: Into the Wild and I’ll be Back Before Midnight (Lighthouse festival Theatre); Laura’s Cow (Canadian Children’s Opera Company); Queen Milli of Galt (Theatre Aquarius); SM: The Greatest Story Never Told (Smile Theatre); ASM: Half Life (rose Theatre) Education: recent graduate of the University of Windsor’s Ba(H) Drama program.

MELISSA YOUNG

Assistant Director

Melissa is thrilled to be back in Chemainus working on this show. as a choreographer, Melissa’s credits include: The Wizard of Oz, Seussical (carousel Theatre), As You Like It, The Comedy of Errors (Bard on the Beach) and Oklahoma! (Chemainus.) Melissa has also appeared in: High Society, The Producers, Gypsy, Beauty and the Beast (Arts Club), Guys and Dolls (Chemainus.) She recently received her Masters Degree in Theatre from SOU.