The Rockae BIOGRAPHIES

Production Team

CAST

	Francesca Arostegui (Chorus Woman) is a sophomore B.F.A. student in Musical Theatre. Previously for the Norvelle Center, she appeared in Oklahoma! (Aggie) and The Wild Party (Nadine). She was an Elly Award winner for Best Actress in a musical and has performed with the California Music Circus, Sacramento Opera, and the Sacramento Ballet. Francesca comes from Sacramento, California.
	Bridget Beirne(Agave) Off B'way/New York: That Time of the Year (York Theatre, Cast Recording) Oh, Boy! (LuEllen, York Theatre in Mufti), Manhattan Madcaps… (Jeanette, Symphony Space NYC), Jesus Christ, Superstar (Magdalene, LiveStage Performance NYC) Elektrafire! (Elektra, NY Fringe Festival). Regionally: Beehive (Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, etal, Cape Playhouse, Maltz Jupiter Theatre.), Leader of the Pack (Ellie Greenwich, Cape Playhouse), I Love You, You’re Perfect… (Woman 2, Peterborough Players), Lizzie Borden (Mrs. Bence, Goodspeed Norma Terris Theatre), Johnny Guitar (Vienna, 7Angels Theatre), Sisters Of Swing (Laverne Andrews, Capital Rep.; Maxine Andrews, Worcester Foothills), Funny Girl (Fanny Brice, Fiddlehead Theatre)  My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle, Fiddlehead Theatre), Little Shop... (Audrey, Stoneham Theatre/American Stage Festival), Violet (Title role, Elliot Norton Award), Parade (Lucille Frank), Floyd Collins (Nellie), The Wild Party (Queenie), and more with SpeakEasy Stage Co., among others. Soloist with the Boston Gay Men's Chorus and the Boston Pops. BFA: The Boston Conservatory. As always, for Tom.
	Andrew Brewer (A Soldier) is a senior B.F.A. student in Musical Theatre. For the Norvelle Center, he appeared in Oklahoma! (Fred) and The Wild Party (Kegs). At Brown County Playhouse The All Night Strut! (Ensemble). He is a transfer student from Indiana State University where he appeared in An Invitation to a Wedding Cake (Groom). Andrew is from Terre Haute, Indiana.
	Lovlee Carroll (Phrygia) is a senior B.F.A. student in Musical Theatre at IU. She has appeared in Oklahoma! (Sylvie), The Wild Party (Kate), The Day Boy and the Night Girl (Nycteris); at the BCP in Suds (Dee Dee) The All Night Strut! (Ensemble); and at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in Godspell (Lauren) and Once on This Island (Ti Moune). Lovlee Carroll is the recipient of the James F. Elrod Scholarship for 2009. Lovlee, a member of IU Broadway Cabaret, is from Hanover, Indiana.
	Tamrin Goldberg (Chorus Woman) will be a sophomore majoring in Dance and Philosophy at Bernard College. At the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center she appeared in Dead Man Walking (reporter).  Tamrin is from Atlanta, Georgia.
	Trenton G. Hulen (A Cowherd) is a senior B.F.A. student in Musical Theatre. At the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center he appeared in Oklahoma! (Slim), Seussical the Musical (Seussemble), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Hero). At Brown County Playhouse: The All Night Strut! (Ensemble). At the Rose Firebay he appeared in Songs for a New World (Man 1). Trenton is from Vincennes, Indiana.
	Devin Ilaw  (Dionysus)  is ecstatic to be here playing the role of a lifetime. Devin created the role of Jake in world premiere of Wanda’s World off-Broadway (Lucille Lortel nomination) and was recently featured in a reading of Frank Wildhorn’s upcoming new musical Tears ofHeaven. Devin’s favorite roles include Thuy in Miss Saigon (Pittsburgh Music Theatre & WV Public), Ching Ho in Thoroughly Modern Millie (MTW& Stages St. Louis), Lun Tha in The King and I (WV Public), as well as many roles in Les Misérables (North Shore Music Theatre & Theatre Under the Stars). Devin’s voice can heard on the studio cast recording of Guilin, and was seen as a series regular on NBC’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”. Devin holds a B.F.A. in acting and music theatre from Carnegie Mellon University. A classically trained pianist, Devin also conducted the world premiere ofSilver Bullet Trailer off-Broadway, has music directed numerous cabarets and concerts at The Triad, The Duplex, and the Laurie Beechman at the West Bank, and will serve as music director and conductor for the upcoming off-Broadway production of Imelda with the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre this fall. Thanks to the wonderful people here at IU, Pete and Cara, The Krasny Office, and this wonderful cast.
	Nehal Joshi (Pentheus) Broadway: Original revival cast of Les Miserables (Enjolras u/s),  ThreePenny Opera (Roundabout Theatre Company).   Regional credits includes:  Working (World Premiere-2008 revisioned version/  Old Globe, Asolo Repertory Theatre),  Mister Roberts (John F. Kennedy Center), Senor Discretion Himself (World Premiere/Arena Stage), Recent Tragic Events (World Premiere/Woolly Mammoth), Tommy (Dallas Theatre Center), Carousel (Olney Theatre Center), Mother Teresa is Dead (City Theatre Company), The 25th & 26th annual Humana Festival of New American Plays (Actors Theatre of Lousville).  His Film/TV credits include HBO’s The Wire and Blackout (2007 Tribeca Film Festival).   Upcoming:  New York, I Love You.   Training:  James Madison University, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Shakespeare's Globe, London.
	Gina Ricci (Autonoë) is a junior B.F.A. student in Musical Theatre. At the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center she appeared in Oklahoma! (Gertie Cummings) and The Wild Party (Madelaine True), Seussical the musical (Mayzie La Bird), and A Funny …Forum (Domina). Brown County Playhouse: The All Night Strut! (Ensemble). Ginal sang the character of Megan on the Serman’s Lagoon original concept recording. Gina has worked and trained with the American Conservatory Theatre and is from San Francisco, CA.
	Jenna Schneider (Chorus Woman) is a sophomore B.F.A. student in Musical Theatre.  Previously at the Norvelle Center, she appeared in Oklahoma! (Daisy). She is from Northbrook, Illinois.
	Ariel Simpson (Aeolia) is a senior majoring in Musical Theatre. She received the Rodgers and Hammerstein Award through NSAL. At the Norvelle Center, she appeared in The Wild Party (Queeny)A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Geminae) at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Her hometown is Indianapolis, Indiana.
	Hana Slevin (Lydia) is a sophomore B.F.A. student in Musical Theatre. For the Norvelle Center, she was in Oklahoma! (Virginia). She appeared in the Union Board production of Cabaret (Kit Kat Girl) at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and the upcoming University Players production of See What I Wanna See. Hana is a member of IU Broadway Cabaret. Her hometown is Alexandria, Virginia.
	Gordon Stanley (Cadmus) Seven original Broadway casts including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Beauty and the Beast, and Ragtime, and the Roundabout’s Cabaret.  Tours: Annie,  Promises, Promises.  Off-Broadway: Flamingo Court, Take Me Along (Irish Rep), The Rockae and Iron Curtain, both for Prospect Theatre) All’s Well That Ends Well (Theatre for a New Audience).  Regional: Showboat (N. Shore/ IRNE nomination), Little Shop of Horrors (Theatre Aspen), Old Wicked Songs (Fulton). Movies and TV: Beauty and the Beast, Pocohontas, Law and Order: CI.  Best credit/ longest run: twenty-nine years with Renee.
	Mandy Striph (Ino) is a senior B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. Norvelle Center: Oklahoma! (Ado Annie), The Wild Party (Dolores), The Day Boy and the Night Girl (Falca), A Funny...Forum (Philia), and Seussical (Bird Girl). Brown County Playhouse: There Goes the Bride (Polly), The All Night Strut (Ensemble). A member of IU’s Broadway Cabaret, she hosts WFIU’s A Moment of Science video podcast. Other credits: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Millie), and Honk! (Maureen) with the Huron Playhouse. Mandy is from Toledo, Ohio.

PRODUCTION TEAM

George Pinney (director/choreographer) was nominated for a 2001 Tony Award and National Broadway Theatre Award in choreography. George received an Emmy Award for outstanding choreography for the PBS broadcast of Blast!  George, Professor of Theatre and Drama and Head of the B.F.A. in Musical Theatre, has directed and/or choreographed over 150 musical theatre productions for national and international tours, regional and university stages.  Recognized for his teaching, George was awarded the Friedrich Herman Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching, 5 Board of Trustees Awards for Excellence in Teaching and membership in the Faculty Colloquium of Excellence in Teaching.

Peter Mills (composer/lyricist/co-adaptor) received the 2007 Fred Ebb Award for emerging songwriters, 2006 Drama Desk Award nominations for his show The Pursuit Of Persephone (Best Music and Best Orchestrations), the 2003 Richard Rodgers New Horizons Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and a 2002 grant from the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation.  Most recently, Peter wrote music and lyrics for Golden Boy Of The Blue Ridge, a critically-acclaimed bluegrass adaptation of J.M. Synge's Playboy of the Western World set in 1930s Appalachia. He supplied lyrics for Iron Curtain, (book by Susan DiLallo, music by Stephen Weiner), which received the 2006 IT Award for Best Musical and was selected for the 2008 Eugene O'Neill Musical Theatre Conference. The show returns this fall as part of the 2009 NAMT Festival.  Illyria, a musical adaptation of Twelfth Night, had its regional premiere at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey in Fall 2004, with a cast album released in April 2005.  The show is now licensed by Theatrical Rights Worldwide. And Peter's first full-length show, The Taxi Cabaret, was published by Samuel French in Fall 2004.  With Cara Reichel, he wrote The Flood, which was selected for the 2001 ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop.  Marco Polo, written with composer Deborah Abramson, was selected for the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop in 2000, and Peter and Deborah were chosen as 2000-01 Dramatists Guild Fellows. As composer/lyricist, other shows include The Alchemists, Lonely Rhymes, The Rockae, and HONOR.   Peter holds an M.F.A. in Musical Theater Writing from New York University's Tisch School for the Arts and a degree in English/Dramatic Literature from Princeton University. He is a founding member of Prospect Theater Company.

Cara Reichel (Co-Adaptor) was born in Oxford, Mississippi, and grew up in Rome, Georgia.  In  1998, she co-founded Prospect Theater Company, an NYC non-profit dedicated to supporting the next generation of American musical theater artists, and has served as the company's Producing Artistic Director for the past decade.  Through Prospect, she has collaborated frequently with composer and lyricist Peter Mills, creating the original musicals The Pursuit of Persephone, The Taxi Cabaret, The Flood, Lonely Rhymes, and The Alchemists. She also co-adapted The Rockae (based on The Bacchae), Illyria (based on Twelfth Night), Golden Boy of the Blue Ridge (based on The Playboy of the Western World) and Honor (based on As You Like It).  These new musical theatre works have been recognized by organizations such as ASCAP and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation, and have gone on to numerous regional and college readings and productions.  Cara was honored to receive the 2002 “Lucille Lortel Award" for Emerging Women Artists from the League of Professional Theatre Women, and 2004 and 2007 "New Directors / New Works" Grants from the Drama League.  Cara was educated at Princeton University, and in the M.F.A. Program for Directing at Brooklyn College, where she was named 2006 “Alumna of the Year.”  Cara has also published a children's book, A Stone Promise, which she wrote and illustrated (Landmark Editions Inc., 1991).

Nick Passafiume (Scenic Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. student in Scenic Design with a bachelors from the University of Louisville. At the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center he was Scenic Designer for The America Play and Props Master for both Hamlet and Stop Kiss. At U.C.L.A. he was the Assistant Scene Designer for The Threepenny Opera.  He served two seasons as a scenic carpenter for Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. Nick is from Louisville, Kentucky.

Katie McDermott (Scenic Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. student in Scenic Design who earned a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Western Washington University. At the Norvelle Center Katie was Scenic Designer for Stop Kiss, Scenic Artist for Hamlet and designed props for The America Play. Other credits: Scenic Designer for Convention (WWU); Assistant Scenic Designer for Art, Scenic Artist for Urinetown (PCPA Theatrefest); Scenic Design/Painting Intern 2007-08 (Santa Maria, California); Northwest Drama Conference Scenic Design Meritorious Award (2007). Katie is from Seattle, Washington.

Robbie Stanton (Costume Designer) is the costume studio supervisor for all Norvelle Center and Brown County Playhouse productions where he recently designed the costumes for Jimmy Cory, and Nine. Other selected designs: Sweet Charity, Parade, Woyzeck, Guys and Dolls, Hurlyburly, Anything Goes, Twelfth Night, Pippin, Brigadoon, and IU Broadway Cabaret tour. In 2008 he designed the world premiere of The Day Boy and the Night Girl. Robbie also has designed costumes for Brown County Playhouse productions of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown; Something’s Afoot; A Tuna Christmas; Forever Plaid; Lend Me a Tenor; Tintypes; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Pump Boys and Dinettes, and countless others. Outside designs include Marisol, Goodnight Desdemona, Visiting Mr. Green, and three years with Star of Indiana Brass Theatre. Robbie has also worked as a dyer for such theatres as the Old Globe Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse. He is a member of I.A.T.S.E local 893.

Chris Wood (Lighting Designer) is a second-year M.F.A. student in Lighting Design, with a B.A. in theatre from the University of Nebraska – Omaha.  At the Norvelle Center, he was Lighting Designer for Stop Kiss, Assistant Lighting Designer for Marisol, Projection Coordinator for Hamlet, and Assistant Master Electrician for Dead Man Walking. Christopher won the 2008 KC/AFT Region 5 Barbizon Light Design Award for Birds (UNO) and served as Master Electrician for the Des Moines Metro Opera. He comes from Omaha, Nebraska.

David Grindle (Stage Manager) has taught stage management at IU since 2001.  Professionally he has stage managed productions across America specializing in large-scale opera.  He stage managed Aida for Opera Grand Rapids in the Van Andel Arena and over 25 productions at Atlanta Opera including Otello for the 2001 Opera America Conference.  While at Atlanta Opera he worked in an exchange with the Czech National Opera. Additional credits include Baltimore Opera, Anchorage Opera, The Aspen Music Festival, and Indianapolis Opera.  As a director his productions at Washington (DC) Summer Opera received critical praise from the Washington Post, including last summer’s Carmen which was the first opera performed in the new Harman Center for the Arts.  He is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in stage manager education and training.  He is on the Opera America International Production Committee and is the Vice-Commissioner for Management Programming for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT).

Tom Robson (Assistant Director) is a Ph.D. student in Theatre History. B.A. Grinnell College, ’02; M.A. Indiana, ’06. Norvelle Center: AD for The Day Boy and the Night Girl. New play directing credits: Dig (Franklin College), Girl on the Wing (self-produced), Bicentennial Babies (BPP), Privilege, and Synthesis (independent student productions).  Staged readings: Compañeras, Candy (ATHE), Cracker (KCACTF), and Tweaked (Phoenix Theatre). Chicago-area AD credits: Crime and Punishment, Our Town (Writers’ Theatre), The Unexpected Man (Apple Tree Theatre Company), Paragon Springs (Timeline). He is from Philadelphia, PA.

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