Bios

AN AMERICAN MA(U)L BIOGRAPHIES

CAST

Andrew Appel (Eli Whitney the 5th, The Post Officer, Republican) is a senior majoring in Theatre and Drama making his debut at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. In 2005 he appeared in the Independent Student Project The Diary of Anne Frank (Mr. Frank) and at the John Waldron Arts Center in Jesus Christ Superstar (Ensemble/Jesus Follower). Andrew is from Huntington Woods, Michigan.

Thomas K. Asare (Wesson) is a sophomore majoring in Political Science. Thomas is a Hudson and Holland Scholar and President of McNutt Hall. An American Ma(u)l is his debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Thomas is from Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Larry Bao (President, Ensemble) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Drama. This is his debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center.

Lauren Bourke (Reporter, Ensemble) is a sophomore Hutton Honors College scholar majoring in Theatre and Drama. She is making her debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center in An American Ma(u)l. Lauren’s hometown is Plano, Texas.

Brian P. Bradshaw (Thomas Jefferson, Ensemble) is a junior majoring in Theatre and Drama and Telecommunications. Brian previously appeared in Booty Candy (Ensemble) for IU’s Black Curtain and Amadeus (Valet) at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre. This is his debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Brian’s hometown is Carmel, Indiana.

Adrian Burks (Ruth) is a sophomore majoring in Sports Marketing in HPER. This is Adrian’s debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. He has a full football scholarship, loves music, and plays jazz trumpet. Adrian is from Phoenix, Arizona.

Aaron Collins (Bus Driver, Bo’Reffus, Ensemble) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Drama and Philosophy. Previously Aaron has appeared in Booty Candy (various parts) for IU’s Black Curtain and in Once Upon a Mattress (Jester) at the Hendricks Civic Theatre. This is his debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Aaron is from Danville, Indiana.

Bernice A. Darkoa (Sallie) is a first-year graduate student in Speech, Language, and Pathology in the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. She earned her B.A. from Indiana University with a minor in Theatre. Previous roles include Booty Candy (Old Woman) for IU’s Black Curtain, Harry and the Streetbeat (Leon) for the Bloomington Playwrights Project, Against the Grain (Mom) for IU Diversity Theatre, as well as One Night at Louie’s (Woman). Bernice is from Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Natalie DePuy (Voice, Ensemble) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Drama. She won the Southern California Macy Award for her role of Cosette in Les Miserables, and she played Meg in Merrily We Roll Along at the Newport Beach Theatre. This is her debut role at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Natalie is from Orange County, California.

Erin Ehlers (Marilyn) is a junior majoring in Theatre and Drama who has appeared recently in the productions of The Real Thing (Charlotte) and Nine (Sarraghina) at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center and in an independent production of As You like It (Touchstone). In 2007, Erin also appeared in the Brown County Playhouse production of Pump Boys & Dinettes (Prudie Cupp). She is from Lanesville, Indiana.

Lawrence Evans (Advisor, Ensemble) is a freshman majoring in Theatre and Drama. Last semester’s Seussical (Yertle the Turtle) was his debut at the Norvelle Center. Other credits include Ling in Anything Goes, Bertrand in A Little Night Music, and Pirate in The Pirates of Penzance at the Wagon Wheel Theatre. Lawrence also played Jesus/Stephen in Godspell at the Oakwood Inn Playhouse. He was chosen the Best Supporting Actor at the Indiana State Thespian Conference in 2006. Lawrence is from Warsaw, Indiana.

Matt Thompson Gripe (Tex) is a junior majoring in Theatre and Drama. He has studied with The Second City and Improv Olympic in Chicago. Matt appeared in Jimmy Cory (Frank Lipman), Side Man (Ziggy), and The Birthday Party (McCann) at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center and in the Independent Student Project Three Sisters (Chebutykin). He was also seen in A Streetcar Named Desire (Doctor/Mitch) and Hunky Dory (Tim) at Columbia College in Chicago. Matt is from Wheaton, Illinois.

Lauren Gucik (Mrs. Fabus/Housewife/Ensemble) is a senior majoring in Theatre and Drama. Lauren directed Booty Candy for Indiana University’s Black Curtain in the fall of 2007. She is also the Artistic Director of University Players at IU. This is her debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Lauren is from Hudson, Ohio.

Matt Herndon (Homeless Joe, Ensemble) is a freshman majoring in Elementary Education. Matt recently made his debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center in Measure for Measure (Sebastian). He has been the technical director for the Bloomington Playwrights Project's Annual Mini-Play Festival. Matt is from Bloomington, Indiana.

Lisa Kwon (Voice-Over) is a sophomore majoring in Telecommunications. She recently appeared as Hair in Vagina Monologues. This is her debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Lisa is from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Kelly P. Lusk (Smith) is a freshman majoring in Theatre Education. Kelly recently appeared at the Norvelle Center in Jimmy Cory (Bobby Cory). At Spotlight Players he appeared in Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (Joe) and The Laramie Project. He was a Young Playwrights in Process Winner in 2006 and 2007, a 2007 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Competition Participant, and received the 2005 Encore Award for Outstanding Youth in an Adult Production. Kelly is from Brownsburg, Indiana.

Katia Robyn Malarsky (Lucy Streetwalker, Opera Singer, Ensemble) is a 2007 Phi Beta Kappa senior majoring in Theatre and Drama. Katia previously appeared in Measure for Measure (Escalus) and Nine (Ilsa von Hesse) at the Norvelle Center and in Sex, Death (Angela), Snoopy! (Peppermint Patty), Footloose (Vi), Les Misérables (Fantine), and Suzan Lori-Parks’ 365 Plays of 2007. She was Assistant Stage Manager for The Sixth Borough and Side Man at the Wells-Metz and Assistant Director for Once on this Island at the Buskirk-Chumley. Katia is from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jamaal R. McCray (Delaware) is a senior majoring in Theatre and Drama. He appeared at the Norvelle Center in Macbeth (Soldier), The Crucible (Herrick/Willard), and Twelfth Night (Sailor/Priest). President of Black Curtain, Jamaal was in Can I Take You Out Tonight, Baby? (Cliff) and Puerto Rican Obituaries (Poet) and directed Booty Candy. He participated in Suzan Lori-Parks’ 365 Plays of 2007 as a member of The Illusionaires and wrote, directed, and acted in the Independent Project Earth on Heaven. Jamaal is from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Eunice Abena Ntiamoah (Juliet) is a freshman majoring in Broadcast Journalism. She recently performed in Vagina Monologues in Whittenberger Auditorium. This is her debut performance at the Norvelle Center. Eunice was Speaker of the Year for the Munster High School Speech Team and ranked Third Place Nationally in Prose Reading (Speech & Debate). She is Vice Chairperson of Wright Quadrangle and a member of IU Student Television, the Volunteer Students Bureau, African Student Association, and Black Student Union. Eunice is from Munster, Indiana.

Brianna Nicole Peral (Make Up Artist, Ensemble) is a freshman majoring in Theatre and Drama and Public Relations. This is her debut role at the Norvelle Center. She previously appeared in Sex/Death V (Ensemble) at the BPP and El Delantal Blanco (La Empleada) at the Waldron Auditorium. Brianna is involved with Grupo de Teatro VIDA, a Spanish-language performance group at Indiana University. She was the 1st Place Regional and 3rd place Midwest winner for Omega Psi Phi National Talent Hunt. Brianna is from East Chicago, Indiana.

Lawrence Patrick Rud (Random Escaping Slave, Ensemble) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Drama with an emphasis on Acting and in Telecommunications. He received a Sons of Norway Scholarship. This is his debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Lawrence is from Greencastle, Indiana.

Kevin Sheehan (E-Bidder 3/Republican/Guard/Dog) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Drama. He has previously appeared in The Crucible (Witness/Chorus) in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre, Sex/Death V (Various Roles) at the BPP, and Medusa’s Tale (Chorus) for the University Players’ 10@10 Festival. He is a member of All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. Kevin was 2005 Project XL State Champion and 2006 Excel Awards 3rd place in Creative Writing and comes from Greenwood, Indiana.

Sharday Summers (E-Bidder, Ensemble) is a sophomore majoring in Psychology. This is Sharday’s debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. She is a Hudson and Holland Scholar and also earned a Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Scholarship. Sharday is also a member of the McNair Scholars Program. She participated in the IU Bloomington Upward Bound Project. Sharday is from Kokomo, Indiana where she participated in and was awarded fitness winner of the 2005 Howard County’s Jr. Miss Scholarship competition.

Dawn L. Thomas (Georgina) is a second-year M.F.A. acting student who received her B.F.A. from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Most recently Dawn played Isabella in Measure for Measure at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre. Last season she appeared as Patsy in Side Man and Lulu in The Birthday Party. Other favorite credits include The Love of Don Perlimplin for Belisa in the Garden, Much Ado About Nothing, Fanshen, The Bald Soprano, and Buried, all at UMBC. Dawn is from Fort Washington, Maryland.

Terrance Turner (Black Professor, Ensemble) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Drama on a full football scholarship. An American Ma(u)l is his debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Terrance is from Pontiac, Michigan.

Bradley A. Wantz (John Adams/Mr. Patterson) is a junior majoring in Theatre and Drama and African-American & African Diaspora Studies. Previously Bradley was seen at the Norvelle Center in Seussical the Musical (Mr. Mayor), and The Crucible (Witness) and in the Independent Projects On Stars Not Falling (Wings) and As You Like It (Le Beau/William/Hymen). He was also in Sex/Death IV and V (Angel/ Mysterious Man) and (Reverend/Mr. Smith) at the BPP. A Lily Endowment Scholar, Bradley is from New Castle, Indiana.

Harry Watermeier (Abraham Lincoln, Ensemble) is a junior majoring in Theatre and Drama. He previously appeared on the Ruth N. Halls stage in the Norvelle Center as the Attendant Benedick in Measure for Measure. He also played Hal in Proof for the Indianapolis Spotlight Players and is a member of the sketch comedy troupe All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble. Harry’s hometown is Bloomington, Indiana.

Brian Watts (Benjamin Franklin, Chairman, Ensemble,) is a senior majoring in Film and Telecommunications. An American Ma(u)l is Brian’s debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. His hometown is Green Fork, Indiana.

Mary Margaret Wittmer (Host, Ensemble) is a junior majoring in Theatre and Drama. She appeared in Suzan Lori Parks' 365 Plays as a member of the Illusionaires.  An American Ma(u)l is her debut performance at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Mary Margaret is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

CREATIVE TEAM

Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe (Director) National credits: Trinity Rep; Woolly Mammoth; Mark Taper Forum; Water Tower in Dallas; Curious Theatre in Denver; Southern Rep in New Orleans; Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Capital Rep in Albany, NY. San Francisco credits include: Magic Theatre, Theatre Works, Exit Theatre, Theatre Rhinoceros, Lorraine Hansberry, American Conservatory Theatre’s M.F.A. Program Black Artists Contemporary Cultural Experience (her company). Acting credits include the West Coast premiere of Suzan Lori Parks’ The America Play and Robert O’Hara’s Brave Brood. She is an alumnus of the Tony award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe and an Artistic Associate of The Medea Project; Theatre for Incarcerated Women. Edris is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. She is the recent recipient of the New Frontiers Fellowship to develop a Black Play Lab at IU.  This is her directorial debut at the LNTDC.

Seamus M. Bourne (Scenic Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. student in Scenic Design. He received his B.A. from UNC Wilmington. Seamus was scenic designer for Side Man and the assistant designer for The Crucible at the Norvelle Center, and the scenic designer for Plaza Suite at Brown County Playhouse. He also was the scenic designer of Shadow of a Gunman and Boys’ Life at UNCW, for which he won the Southeastern Theatre Conference Sculptural Arts Coatings Undergraduate Design Award. Seamus is from Tenafly, New Jersey.

Angie Burkhardt (Costume Designer) is a third-year M.F.A. student in Costume Design who holds a B.F.A. in Design and Technology from the University of North Texas. Norvelle Center designs: Measure for Measure, Big Love, Urinetown, Honour. Professional credits: Hank the Cow Dog and Revenge of the Space Pandas (Plano Repertory Theatre), assistant designer for Yuletide (Indianapolis Symphony), Exact Center of the Universe (Circle Theatre), and assistant designer for Ditty Doodle Works (National Tour). This summer: assistant designer at Colorado Shakespeare Festival. From Grapevine, Texas.

Sean Smallman (Lighting Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. student in Lighting Design who holds a B.F.A. from the University of Arizona. Sean was the lighting designer for Measure for Measure, Reel and the co-designer for Big Love at the Norvelle Center. Recently he was sound designer for Lend Me a Tenor at Brown County Playhouse. He has designed for numerous theatres around Arizona, including Arizona Repertory Theatre, and was programmer for IU professor Rob Shakespeare’s Totem Light Sculpture. Sean is from Mesa, Arizona.

Matt Reynolds (Sound Designer) is a senior majoring in Theatre and Drama, with specialization in sound design. At the Norvelle Center he served as Sound Designer for Measure for Measure and Big Love, as well as Assistant Sound Designer for Reel. Outside of the Norvelle Center, Matt was the Sound Designer at Brown County Playhouse for The Glass Menagerie and Pump Boys and Dinettes, as well as for Girl on the Wing at BPP and Shocktoberfest at Cardinal Stage. He is from Snellville, Georgia.

Jacqueline Goeppner (Stage Manager) is a senior majoring in Theatre and Drama and Art History. Jackie has stage managed Seussical, The Sixth Borough, and Side Man at the Norvelle Center, and Oliver! for Cardinal Stage. She was Assistant Stage Manager for Our Country’s Good and Macbeth at the Norvelle Center and for Madama Butterfly and Manon at the MAC. Last summer she worked on Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House in London. Jackie, a Helen Sarah Walker Scholarship recipient, is from Hanover, Indiana.

Jeff Grafton (Assistant Director) is a third-year M.F.A. student in Acting who received his B.S. from Illinois State. Norvelle Center credits include Metamorphoses (Midas and others), The Real Thing (Henry—thesis role), Twelfth Night (Toby), The Birthday Party (Goldberg), Arcadia (Nightingale), and Honour (Gus). At Brown County Playhouse Jeff appeared in Arms and the Man (Bluntschli). Chicago credits include Downsize at Steppenwolf Theatre Garage and King Lear at Illinois Shakespeare Festival. He appears in the film Sunset Town. Jeff is from St. John, Indiana.

Kevin Love (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman majoring in Stage Management. At Music Theatre in Louisville Kevin worked as a Sound Engineer Intern for West Side Story and Cinderella and appeared in High School Musical (Zeke). He has also performed with Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Stage One, Derby Dinner Playhouse, and Kentucky Opera. This is his Norvelle Center/Stage Management debut work. Kevin’s home town is New Albany, Indiana.

Daniel Reinglass (Assistant Stage Manager) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Drama concentrating on both Performance and Stage Management; he is pursuing minors in Psychology and Spanish. Daniel has acted in many productions, most notably I Am My Own Wife (Charlotte, Cultural Minister, Ziggy Fluss) for Northwestern University’s National High School Institute in the Josephine Lewis Theatre. This is his debut work at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center and in Stage Management. Daniel is from Deerfield, Illinois.

Nancy Lipschultz (Voice Coach) has worked as an actress in New York, California, Michigan, Texas, and Chicago. She has also worked overseas in London and is a veteran of six Fringe festivals in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has worked on feature films, industrials, commercials, and, network Television. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Actors’ Equity and VASTA. Nancy has been a professor of Acting, Voice and Directing at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Ohio Wesleyan, and Wayne State University. Directing credits include: Evita, Much Ado About Nothing, Twilight Los Angeles, and Fires in the Mirror. She recently coached the New York City Opera production Dead Man Walking directed by Tony award winner Leonard Foglia, and the National Tour of Kiss Me Kate. She is the voice for Lexus GPS systems for Inter Group Corporation, Tokyo, and appeared in the new play series at Victory Gardens, Chicago in High Holidays by Alan Gross.

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