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ABOUT THE COMPANY  

MEREDITH McCALL (Diana) – At ZACH Theatre: Fiction, The Drowsy Chaperone, Caroline, or Change, 365 Days/365 Plays, Present Laughter, Urinetown: The Musical, Cabaret, Side Man, The Pavilion, The Laramie Project, Little Shop of Horrors, Jouét, Pride’s Crossing, The Rocky Horror Show (1999 & 2006), The Santaland Diaries, Tommy, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, The Taffetas, Jack and Jill, Ruthless! The Musical, Rockin’ Christmas Party, Das Barbecü, Born Yesterday, Avenue X, Beehive and Falsettos. REGIONAL THEATRE: Celebrity Autobiography (The Long Center); Down the Drain and House of Several Stories (Imagine That); Jouét (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Guys and Dolls (Zilker Summer Musicals); She Loves Me and Pump Boys and Dinettes (Live Oak Theatre). AWARDS: Austin Critics’ Table Award for “Outstanding Acting in a Supporting Role” for The Drowsy Chaperone, Austin Critics’ Table Award for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical” for Urinetown: The Musical, Austin Critics’ Table Award “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical,” B. Iden Payne Nomination “Best Lead Actress in a Musical” for Jouét, Austin Critics’ Table Award for “Featured Actress” for Angels in America, B. Iden Payne Award for “Best Actress in a Drama” for The Pavilion, “Best Actress in a Comedy” for Born Yesterday and “Best Actress in a Musical” for Falsettos. OTHER CREDITS: M.A in Theatre from Northwestern University. Meredith’s CD, The Joy in Your Heart, is available through www.cdbaby.com/cd/meredithmccall.

JAMIE GOODWIN* (Dan) – At ZACH Theatre: The Drowsy Chaperone (Aldopho - Austin Critics’ Table Award nomination for “Acting in a Supporting Role”) Shooting Star (Reed McAllister), Doubt (Father Brendan Flynn), An Almost Holy Picture (Samuel Gentle), Present Laughter (Garry Essendine), Urinetown: The Musical (Officer Lockstock), Shear Madness (Nick O’Daniel) and Aida (Zoser). REGIONAL THEATRE: Eurydice (Father), City of Angels (Stein) and bobrauschenbergamerica (Becker) at Mary Moody Northen Theatre at St. Edward’s University; Gross Indecencies (Oscar Wilde); The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Johnny Brown); Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Adam). OFFBROADWAY: New York Shakespeare Festival’s Two Gentlemen of Verona (Valentine), Public Theatre’s Julius Caesar (Marullus), Twelfth Night (Orsino). TELEVISION: “Johnny Bauer” on the CBS daytime drama Guiding Light, “Kevin Anderson” on NBC’s Another World, one of Samantha’s beaus on HBO’s Sex and the City; supporting roles in Ed, Third Watch, Hack, Law & Order and Law & Order SVU. FILM: Serendipity (Nick Roberts), Let It Be Me (Bud) and The Perfect You. Jamie received his M.F.A. in Acting at S.M.U.’s Meadow’s School of the Arts.

ANDREW CANNATA (Gabe) - At ZACH Theatre: Rent and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. REGIONAL THEATRE: I Love you Because, john and jen, Company. OTHER THEATRE: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Footloose, The Pajama Game, Last 5 Years, My Favorite Year, Parade, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anything Goes. AWARDS: B. Iden Payne Award-winner for “Best Lead Actor in Musical Theatre”: 2009, 2010 and 2011.

KELLI SCHULTZ (Natalie) – At ZACH Theatre: High School Musical (Sharpay). REGIONAL THEATRE: House of Several Stories (Abigail) with Imagine That Productions and Cabaret (Sally Bowles) with Summer Stock Austin. UNIVERSITY THEATRE: 360 (round dance) (Maid), The Chronicles of Bad Ass Women (Bonnie Parker), The Threepenny Opera (Filch), Br’er Wood (Emmy) and Trojan Women (Chorus) with the University of Texas-Austin. OTHER CREDITS: Kelli is a senior at the University of Texas-Austin, pursuing her B.A. in Plan II Honors, Theatre and Dance and American Studies, and is a proud member of the Junior Fellows and WWBB. After graduating in the spring, she will venture to San Francisco to join the 2012 Teach for America Corps.

JOHNNY NEWCOMB (Henry) – At ZACH Theatre: “Melchior” in Spring Awakening. A native of Boston, Johnny has performed in theatres across New England including The North Shore Music Theatre, The Barnstormers Theatre, and Boston’s Metro Stage Company. REGIONAL THEATRE: The Rocky Horror Show (Riff Raff), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chip), Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus) and Next Fall (Luke). OTHER CREDITS: Proud graduate of The Boston Conservatory with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre.

JOSHUA DENNING (Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden) – At ZACH Theatre: “Seaweed” in Hairspray and “Angel” in Rent (Austin Critics’ Table Award for “Acting in a Supporting Role” and B. Iden Payne Award-winner for “Outstanding Ensemble Performance” with Roderick Sanford). INTERNATIONAL: The Lion King (Simba), Hamburg, Germany; We Will Rock You (Brit), Zurich, Switzerland; Best of Musical (Principle Soloist), Vienna, Austria. REGIONAL THEATRE: Parade (Jim Conley), MacTheatre; Carousel (Billy Bigelow), Mary Moody Northen Theatre; In The Blood (Reverend D), Altered Stages; Rent (Benny), The Weston Playhouse; Miss Saigon, Theater Under The Stars; and West Side Story and A Little Night Music, The Human Race Theater Company. FILM: Tort (Clyde Walker), Convergence (Michael), Abrupt Decision (Aaron), Sick Daze, Down With Dave, Snipe Hunter and Bernie. OTHER THEATRE: Hot Summer Nights at the Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, Stage One, The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Seaside Music Theater. ADDITIONAL CREDITS: B.F.A. in Musical Theater from Wright State University, Lead Singer for Norwegian Cruise Lines.  

ABOUT THE ARTISTIC STAFF

DAVE STEAKLEY (Producing Artistic Director) – Now in his 21st season, Dave is dedicated to creating a place where our community gathers for a collective imaginative act. Dave believes theatre offers an arena in which we might be challenged to understand not just our own lives, but also the world in which we live, and is committed to creating plays and musicals that open meaningful conversations on topics that have resonance in our community. Under Dave’s leadership:

WORLD PREMIERES: New plays by Anna Deavere Smith, Steven Dietz, Everett Quinton, John Walch, Allen Robertson & The Flaming Idiots; 365 Plays/365 Days by Suzan-Lori Parks. ZACH served as the Austin hub of a nationwide, year-long festival; Jesucristo Superestrella – ZACH created the first bi-lingual adaptation of Webber and Rice’s landmark musical; The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, a jazz/R&B reinvention set in Katrina ravaged New Orleans, which received national acclaim from The New York Times and the Gershwin Estate.

PRODUCER, DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER ON MORE THAN 250 ZACH PRODUCTIONS INCLUDING: Hairspray, August: Osage County, Rent, Metamorphoses, Our Town, The Grapes of Wrath, Caroline, or Change, The Clean House, Take Me Out, I Am My Own Wife, Urinetown, Crowns, Omnium-Gatherum, Hair, The Laramie Project, Hedwig, Jelly’s Last Jam, The America Play, Dreamgirls, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Angels In America and Beehive

REGIONAL DIRECTING CREDITS: Actors Theatre of Louisville, New Stage Theatre, American Heartland Theatre, WaterTower Theatre, City Theatre and Downstairs Cabaret

PLAYWRIGHT: Rockin’ Christmas Party, Keepin’ It Weird, a play about Austin’s unique character featured on CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, The Wall Street Journal and American Theatre

SERVICE TO THE THEATRE FIELD: National Endowment for the Arts Theatre and Musical Theatre Panelist • Texas Commission on the Arts Young Masters Program Panelist • National Alliance for Musical Theatre New Works Committee

RECOGNITION: City of Austin declares October 22, 2011, and May 18, 2001, as “Dave Steakley Day”; 2010 Spike Gillespie Kick Ass Award; 2009 Austin Dancing with the Stars Champion; 2005 Austin Circle of Theaters’ Special Recognition Award for “Outstanding Contribution to Austin Theatre”; Austin Chronicle “Best of Austin” Readers Poll “Best Stage Director” six times; Multiple Austin Critics’ Table and B. Iden Payne Awards for Outstanding Director, Choreographer; 2000 Austin Under 40 Outstanding Arts & Entertainment Award.

ALLEN ROBERTSON (Musical Director/Conductor) – is an Emmy Award®-winning co-creator of the PBS children’s show The Biscuit Brothers, as well as a co-producer, performer, writer, educational director and composer for the show. Allen is an award-winning musical director, composer, playwright, actor, director, sound designer and musician, and has worked on hundreds of productions from Chicago to Japan and just about everywhere in between - including 20 years of shows at ZACH. New York credits include Radio City Music Hall and the Off-Broadway run of The Flaming Idiots. As a vocalist, he can be heard on several Disney Records as well as television and radio commercials. Additionally he is a composer with credits including the film Beyond Black Rock, the musical Jouet and the ballet Secret Garden.

CAITLIN CARTER* (Musical Staging) – joins the ZACH Theatre for the first time. BROADWAY: Jersey Boys (Assistant Choreographer all North American companies) and 110 in the Shade (Assistant Choreographer). OFF-BROADWAY: Stage director for the 92nd Street Y Lyrics and Lyricists Series, including The Man That Got Away: Ira After George, Misty: Johnny Burke After Hours, Fred and Ginger: In So Many Words and Stage Door Canteen: Broadway Responds To World War II; Shakespeare in the Park’s Romeo and Juliet (Associate Choreographer) NATIONAL TOURS: Chicago (Assistant Choreographer) and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Assistant Choreographer of the S.F., L.A. and Boston companies). REGIONAL: Houston Grand Opera’s Showboat (Assistant Choreographer). TELEVISION: Artistic consultant for the PBS special Under the Streetlamp, which will air in March 2012. Choreographer for Victoria’s Secret and E*Trade.com commercials. OTHER: Graduate of N.C.S.A. and Rice University. www.CaitlinCarter.com.

MICHAEL B. RAIFORD (Scenic Design) - is a scenic and costume designer based in Austin. At ZACH Theatre, he has designed more than 100 productions during the past 20 years. A few favorite productions include this season’s God of Carnage, Spring Awakening and Hairspray, in addition to The Book of Grace, Rent, The Drowsy Chaperone, August: Osage County and many more. National and regional credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville – where he designed 2O shows including a dozen world premieres for “The Humana Festival of New American Plays” – and productions this season including Chad Diety and two Humana Festival shows: Michael von Siebenburg Melts Through the Floorboards by Greg Kotis and The Hour of Feeling by Mona Mansour; Cleveland Playhouse, where his multiple credits including this season’s In the Next Room; and Carmen at Central City Opera this season. Other regional credits include Kansas City Rep, The Maltz Jupitier Theatre, Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C., Opera Boston and The New Victory Theatre in New York City. In Austin, Michael’s work has been seen at Ballet Austin with The Magic Flute and The Mozart Project, Austin Lyric Opera with Rigoletto directed by Joseph McClain, and The Rude Mechanicals with Tesla and Big Love. Michael also works as a creative consultant in many fields including architecture, advertising and even marching band. Follow his work with Drum Corps International’s The Academy - where he is the Artistic Director - and The Cavaliers, and see them at local movie theatres this summer as part of Drum Corps International’s live broadcasts. Michael received his M.F.A. from the University of Texas, where he taught for 10 years, and he is a member of United Scenic Artists. To see more of his work, visit http://flickr.com/photos/michaelraiford/sets.

JASON AMATO (Lighting Design) – Jason’s career has spanned 18 years, designing more than 500 local and international shows. In addition to designing at ZACH for 12 years, he is the resident lighting designer for Austin Shakespeare, Blue Lapis Light and the Vortex Repertory Theatre. Recent shows at ZACH: Spring Awakening, Hairspray, The Book of Grace, August: Osage County, Red Hot Patriot, Rent, Metamorphoses, Becky’s New Car, Our Town, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Grapes of Wrath, Shooting Star, Beehive and Caroline, or Change. The Austin Critics’ Table Awards has honored Jason for outstanding lighting in 25 shows. He has also received B. Iden Payne Awards for his lighting of Troades, Trickster, The Exonerated, Omnium-Gatherum, Triskelion, Panoptikon, Despair’s Book of Dreams and The Deluge. In 2008, Jason received the “Outstanding Contribution to Austin Theater” award from Austin Circle of Theaters. You can also view his design work at www.jasonamato.com.

MICHAEL McDONALD (Costume Design) – At ZACH: Spring Awakening, Dirty Blonde, Omnium-Gatherum, Crowns, Take Me Out and Hank Williams: Lost Highway. BROADWAY AND LONDON: Hair (2009 Tony, Drama Desk and Hewes Award nominations). OFF-BROADWAY: The Irish Curse (Soho Rep), A Perfect Future (Cherry Lane Theater), Tartuffe (Tribeca Playhouse), Amahl and the Night Visitors (Lincoln Center) Measure for Measure (Expanded Arts). REGIONAL: Hair (The Public Theater); God of Carnage (George Street Playhouse); Take Me Out (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis); Johnny Baseball (A.R.T.), IRNE Nomination; Amadeus, Sweeney Todd, The Laramie Project and Angels in America (Chatham Playhouse). OTHER CREDITS: As Assistant Costume Master for the Public Theater, notable collaborations include Mother Courage and Her Children starring Meryl Streep; Radiant Baby; Caroline, or Change; Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson; The Merchant of Venice; Topdog/Underdog; Passing Strange and Twelfth Night.

CRAIG BROCK (Sound Design) – A freelance audio engineer since 1989, he also works as a recording engineer and music producer. At ZACH Theatre: Rent, Metamorphoses, The Drowsy Chaperone, Becky’s New Car, Our Town, Flaming Idiots, Spelling Bee, Love, Janis, The Grapes of Wrath, Let Me Down Easy, Shooting Star, Caroline, or Change, The Clean House, Altar Boyz, Porgy and Bess, Speeding Motorcycle, High School Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar/Jesucristo Superestrella, Take Me Out, Rocky Horror, I Am My Own Wife, Urinetown, Hank Williams: Lost Highway, Rockin’ Christmas Party, The Santaland Diaries. REGIONAL THEATRE: Evil Dead, City of Angels, Dream, Annie, The Music Man, Starlight Express. Album credits include: El Tri, Mana, Luis Miguel, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Guns & Roses, David Crosby, Stephen Stills.

BLAKE REEVES (Properties Design) – At ZACH: God of Carnage, Spring Awakening, Hairspray, The Book of Grace, August: Osage County, Fiction, Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins and Rent. Blake has also worked with ZACH’s production team in numerous facets for The Santaland Diaries, The Drowsy Chaperone, Metamorphoses, Becky’s New Car, Our Town and The Flaming Idiots. In addition to production work, he performed with the award-winning cast of Our Town. Blake attended Baylor University and, during his time as a student, he designed, choreographed and performed in a number of productions. He later returned to serve as the Coordinator of Special Performances for the university, producing and designing several shows. He also provided prop design for Footloose with Zilker Theatre Productions this summer. Blake is a proud member of the Society of Properties Artisan Managers.

PAUL FLINT (Director of Production) – joined ZACH Theatre in 2008. He earned his B.F.A. from Shorter College and M.F.A. from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, with a focus on Technical Direction, Scenic Design and Arts Management. He has more than ten years experience in technical theatre and has worked as a Technical Director for eight years. His theatre credits include the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Ga., Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York, Vitalist Theatre Company in Chicago, Ill., and he is a founding member of Seaside Repertory Theatre in Seaside, Florida. Paul is the author of Managing the Creative Mind: A Technical Director’s Process.

JIM O’SULLIVAN (Technical Director) – is excited to be working on his second show at ZACH. He came to Austin from TheatreWorks–Silicon Valley where he was the Assistant Technical Director from 2007-2011. He worked on more than 30 productions, with 7 world premieres, at TheatreWorks including the musicals Emma, Tinyard Hill and Daddy Long Legs. He also served as Technical Director for Renegade Theatre Experiment and the Cutting Ball Theatre. He won an Arty Award for scenic design of On Golden Pond at the Benicia Old Town Theatre Group.

BLAIR HURRY (Costume Shop Manager) – grew up in Austin and studied Costume Design & Technology at the University of Texas. Her costume design works at ZACH Theatre include Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, Metamorphoses, Shooting Star (2009-2010 Season), Farm to Market and Call It Courage (ZACH’s Performing Arts School). Other local designs include Vampyress (Vortex Theatre), Parade: A Musical (St. Edward’s University), The Famous Rio Grande, The Trojan Women and Cabaret (University of Texas). Prior to ZACH, she built costumes for the Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Ohio Light Opera Company and STAGES: St. Louis. She also worked as Head of Wardrobe and Make-up for the national tour of Playhouse Disney’s The Doodlebops LIVE! and the 2008 national tour of The Moscow Ballet’s The Great Russian Nutcracker. She is currently an active member of the local 205 IATSE union.

LILY WILLIAMS (Company Manager) – graduated from Montana State University with degrees in Media & Theatre Arts and Spanish Language & Literature. During her time in Montana, Lily served as the producer and stage manager for numerous university productions, including The Last Acts and Allen Ball’s Five Women Wearing the Same Dress. She has vast experience in film, event management and visual art.

CATHERINE ANNE TUCKER* (AEA Production Stage Manager) – At ZACH Theatre: Stage Manager for Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins; Metamorphoses; Beehive; Rockin’ Christmas Party; Caroline, or Change; Porgy and Bess; Seussical the Musical; High School Musical and various special events. REGIONAL THEATRE: Much Ado About Nothing at Austin Shakespeare Festival and Cyrano de Bergerac at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. OFF-BROADWAY: Lapsburgh Layover and Be a Good Little Widow with Ars Nova, I Never Sang For My Father with Keen Co. and Sparkling Object with CPP. OTHER CREDITS: Special Events Manager for NAAP, Dusty Film Festival, and Ars Nova Benefit; workshop of new Peter Gabriel musical US with The Real Theatre Co. NYC; Theatre Arts B.F.A. with an emphasis in Stage Management from Southern Oregon University.

LISA GOERING (Production Assistant) – At ZACH: Stage Manager for Spring Awakening, Hairspray, August: Osage County, Rent, The Drowsy Chaperone, Our Town, The Flaming Idiots, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jesus Christ Superstar/Jesucristo Superestrella and Keepin' It Weird, among others. She stage managed An Ideal Husband for Austin Shakespeare, and keeps busy working as a dresser, sound board operator and freelance seamstress/stitcher, as well as traveling regionally to work in costume shops, including two summers for the Shakespeare Festival at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. She has appeared onstage in Carousel and A Christmas Carol at ZACH and The Snow Queen with Second Youth.

TOM KITT (Music) – Tom Kitt received 2009 Tony Awards for “Best Score” and “Best Orchestrations” for Next to Normal, which had successful productions at both Second Stage (Outer Critics Circle Award for “Best New Score”; Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Drama League nominations) and Arena Stage (nominated for five 2009 Helen Hayes Awards including “Best Musical”). He composed the music for High Fidelity (Broadway) and From Up Here (MTC), and his original songs have been featured in film and television. He recently created new orchestrations for the CTG/DeafWest production of Pippin. As a musical director, conductor and arranger (Broadway and Off-Broadway), shows include 13, Hair, Laugh Whore, Urban Cowboy and Debbie Does Dallas. This past spring, he was the musical supervisor, arranger and orchestrator for Everyday Rapture at Second Stage, and his string arrangements appear on the new Green Day album 21st Century Breakdown. He is the proud leader of The Tom Kitt Band (http://www.tomkittband.com).

BRIAN YORKEY (Book & Lyrics) – Brian Yorkey received the 2009 Tony Award for “Best Score” for his work on Next to Normal and was also nominated for the Tony Award for “Best Book of a Musical.” Theatre credits include Making Tracks – which has played Off- Broadway and regionally – the musical adaptation of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet and the new country musical Play It By Heart. Film and television credits include the features Time After Time, in development at Universal with Marc Platt, and Sluts for Lionsgate and Furst Films. He is currently writing Love Undercover for Pandemonium Films and Overture and Chase for Anonymous Content and Rosenzweig Films. He also co-created “Bears,” a new series for the Logo Network. He has directed Off-Broadway and regionally, and for seven years was associate artistic director at Village Theatre in Washington State, one of the nation’s leading producers of new musicals. He is a graduate of Columbia University, where he was Artistic Director of the Varsity Show, an alum of the BMI/Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and the WG.

BAND

Keyboards .........................................................JASON CONNER

Guitar .................................................................BOB OVERTON

Bass ..............................................................LANNIE HILBOLDT

Violin...........................................................JOSEPH SHUFFIELD

Cello.............................................................HECTOR MORENO

Drums/Percussion..................................................ARNIE YAÑEZ