MEET THE WONDERFUL CAST AND PRODUCTION TEAM OF SPRING AWAKENING
EVAN BELL (Otto) is returning to Santa Barbara after spending some time studying musical theatre at the University of Northern Colorado. He is a frequent of the Santa Barbara stage, having performed with such local theatre companies as Up Stage Left Productions, Dos Pueblos High School, Rubicon Theatre Company, and now Out of the Box Theatre Company. Past roles include William Barfée in 25th Annual…Spelling Bee, Benny in Rent, "Daddy" Warbucks in Annie, and Greg in A Chorus Line. He dedicates this performance to his teachers and mentors, the real reason he is able to do what he does.
DEBORAH BERTLING (Adult Women) is excited to make her debut with Out of The Box Theatre Company and to work with such a darling and talented cast! Theater credits include Life Support, Sylvia, It Runs in the Family, World Goes Round, Oliver!, Leonard Bernstein’s Peter Pan, Who’s In Bed With the Butler? and Don’t Mention My Name. Opera credits include Italian Girl in Algiers, Magic Flute, Madama Butterfly, Hansel & Gretel, Merry Widow, and La Traviata. Deborah has also appeared in PSAs for Santa Barbara City TV and played Norma Shearer in Paul Merton’s Birth of Hollywood for BBC Bristol. She is a member of Opera Santa Barbara’s OPERA LAB outreach team and serves as a music docent for CAMA. She is also President of Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation.
QUINLAN FITZGERALD (Wendla) is thrilled to be involved in Spring Awakening with Out of the Box. Though this is her first show with the company, past credits include: Godspell, Little Women: the Broadway Musical (Jo), Macbeth (Lady Macbeth), Learned Ladies (Henriette), The Wizard of Oz (Glinda), St. Joan (Joan of Arc) and Annie (Annie). She would like to thank the amazing cast and production team for their hard work and the memories that were made along the way. Also, a special thanks to her friends and family for their love and support; it means the world to her.
JESSICA GOTSMAN (Anna) is thrilled to be joining such a talented cast and crew in this production of Spring Awakening. This is her first show with Out of the Box Theatre Co. but she has been doing theatre ever since high school. She most recently performed in The Vagina Monologues, Rent, Aida, and The Pajama Game. She is currently a junior at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is studying Communication and English. She’d like to thank the directing team for this amazing opportunity and also her cast, family, and friends for being so supportive and enthusiastic. Enjoy the show!
ROB GRAYSON (Adult Men) Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Rob is part of a family that spans 4 generations in this beautiful city. Spring Awakening is Rob's third production with Out of the Box, and he has been participating in professional and community theater since he was very young. His previous productions include: Evil Dead, Assassins, George M, Damn Yankees, Heartstrings, Godspell, Snoopy, and A Chorus Line. Rob also appeared in the Disney film Newsies. In addition to his work in the theater, Rob is currently the Director of Development for Casa Esperanza and the owner of Body Boot Camp of Santa Barbara.
CHARLIE KATE HARPER (Ensemble; u/s Thea) is a freshman at Santa Barbara City College studying theatre. Though a native of Santa Barbara, she actively started performing while living in Arizona for six years. Some recent theatre credits include Hairspray, Beauty and the Beast, Seussical, The Laramie Project, and RENT: School Edition. Charlie Kate plans to pursue acting professionally. She would like to thank her parents for their consistent support of a career almost as unstable as the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts (and for putting up with eleven years of constant Harry Potter references).
ETHAN HARTSELL (Hanschen) has been acting in plays since he was 11, despite alack of what his ex-girlfriend Tina calls "talent," "stage presence," and "the ability to make any woman happy." Some of his favorite shows have been the Wizard of Oz, in which he portrayed Lunchkin Munchkin, and Into the Woods, in which he portrayed Tree #3. He would like to thank you for your support of local theater. And if Tina comes to see the show, he would appreciate it if you would pretend to be a high-powered Hollywood agent who just has to cast Ethan as the ruggedly handsome but intelligent and sensitive male lead in a blockbuster action franchise.
ANALICIA HAWKINS (Thea) is 18 years old and a freshman at Westmont College. This is her first production with Out of the Box Theatre, and she is so excited to be a part of it. Most recently, she has performed in Animal Farm (Moses), Peer Gynt (Helga), West Side Story (Anita), and The Wiz (Dorothy Understudy). She would love to thank Samantha for giving her this opportunity, and her parents and friends for supporting her.
SKYLER JONES (Georg) is extremely excited to be back on the stage. He is in his first year at UCSB and is majoring in music. His most recent roles include Jesus in Godspell, and Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He has had a lot of fun working with the rest of the cast and is looking forward to the performance. He hopes that everyone enjoys the show!
MAGGIE LANGHORNE (Martha) is extremely excited to be a part of Out of the Box Theatre Company's production of Spring Awakening! Maggie has worked with several of Santa Barbara's local theatre organizations including Opera Santa Barbara, The Music Academy of the West, and Santa Barbara Children's Theatre. Some of her favorite roles include Laurie in Oklahoma!, Maria in The Sound of Music, Sally in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. Maggie is currently a senior at Bishop Diego High School, and will be pursuing a degree in vocal performance at Oberlin Conservatory in the fall. She would like to thank her family and friends for their constant support.
ALLISON LEWIS TOWBES (Ensemble; u/s Anna) is a 16 year old sophomore at Laguna Blanca School. A native of Virginia, she has been acting since age 3. Allison moved to Santa Barbara in 2008. Since then she has played Meg in Damn Yankees, Smitty in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and she had the opportunity to sing with Andrea Bocelli with SBYET. She played Sarah Brown in Guys & Dolls, Marty in Grease with Stage Left, and Belle in Beauty and the Beast with Big Stage. She was featured as Clarisse in The Liar at Laguna Blanca School. Allison studies dance at SBDA, vocal technique with Dauri Kennedy, and hones her skills as an actor with Deborah Lemen. When she is not acting, Allie can be found dancing, skiing, reading, and hanging out with her friends. Thank you to the directors, cast, and crew of Spring Awakening for this wonderful opportunity.
MIGUEL MIRANDA (Ernst) This is Miguel's 2nd production with Out of the Box Theatre Company. Miguel was last seen in Assassins last spring (John Hinckley Jr.) He has also been in The Santa Barbara Revels Bavarian Christmas (Ensemble), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Barfee), Singin' in the Rain (Male Diction Coach), Les Miserables (Ensemble). You can see him perfom every weekend at the Santa Barbara Zoo in How to Train Your Dinosaur where his co-star is a Tyrannosaurus Rex named Duncan. He is absolutely thrilled to be in this production of Spring Awakening with an amazingly talented cast.
MARC NICOLAS (Ensemble) earned his BA in Theatre: Scenic Design from Vanguard University. Born in Santa Barbara, Marc has performed with various groups throughout the community- Hula Anyone? Santa Barbara Chamber Singers, Isla Vista Juggling Festival, Lobero Circus Camp and Santa Barbara Revels to name a few. He would like to thank his family and friends for their love and support. "...to whom much was given, of him much will be required..."
DANIEL RUSSELL (Moritz) is currently a student studying History and Film & Media at the University of California Santa Barbara. He comes from a lovely family of six in Studio City, California. He thanks his parents for inspiring him to do theater arts and for their endless support in fostering his life goals. This performance is for you. "Do not worry that no one acknowledges you; seek to do what will earn you acknowledgement."-Confucius
WILL SCHNEIDERMAN (Melchior) is proud to be in his first production with Out of the Box. He has been involved in many shows, including Riff in West Side Story and Roger in Rent (Stage Left Productions). He would like to thank his friends and family for all their support, and wishes many broken legs to his fellow cast and crew.
SAMANTHA EVE (Director; Ilse) is the founder and Artistic Director of Out of the Box Theatre Company and is thrilled to start off its third official season by rocking out with Spring Awakening! Recent credits: Wizard of Oz, Oliver, Peter Pan, and Grease (The Muny), Reefer Madness, Hair, Assassins, and Evil Dead (Out of the Box Theatre Company), Tea With the Enemy (Theater 150). BFA in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School at CAP21. Lots of love and thanks to my family and the entire SA crew!
JESSICA HAMBRIGHT (Choreographer) started dancing in Santa Barbara when she was 8 years old. Fourteen years later, she is a full time teacher after getting her B.F.A. in Choreography from the University of California, Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Now specializing in Broadway and Jazz styles, Jessica has choreographed 8 full length musicals and assisted on 5 more, a 45-minutes original thesis, and has had her work seen by some of the academic dance world’s most respected choreographers. Jessica has also performed a featured role in an original 15-minute musical off-Broadway in New York City, and has trained with some of the most up-and-coming choreographers in the business (including Smash’s Josh Bergasse). She teaches jazz, Broadway, and lyrical styles at SBDA and at several schools in Santa Barbara.
EMILY JEWELL (Vocal Director) Emily is thrilled to be joining Out of the Box for the 4th time! You may have seen her as Mae in Reefer Madness, Ronny in Hair or as Emma Goldman in Assassins. Serving as Vocal Director has been a wonderful experience! Emily graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI in 2006. She performed regionally in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas and Illinois. While living in Chicago, she toured with Imagination Theater’s Senior Spotlight for three seasons, delighting senior citizens all over the city. Emily relocated to Santa Barbara almost three years ago and has performed with Ensemble Storybook Theater, Santa Barbara Children’s Theatre, Speaking of Stories, Out of the Box Theatre Company, Santa Barbara Revels and Elements Theatre Collective. She served as music director for Big Stage Productions and Santa Barbara Revels and choreographed for Bravissimo. She also teaches private voice lessons. Many thanks to the SA cast for all their hard work!
CYNTHIA MOORE (Stage Manager) is involved in her third show with Out of the Box. Previous shows include Assassins and Evil Dead: The Musical. She plans to move to Syracuse and continue her education. She wishes lot of broken legs to her cast and crew.
SARA RADEMACHER (Dramaturg) A native of the Central Coast, Sara studied theatre from a young age and received her BA in Dramatic Arts from UCSB. Before graduating, she studied abroad in South Africa, where she wrote, produced and directed her play Ngizobona. Since graduating, Sara has been Directing, Casting, Assistant Directing, Dramaturging and Interning in regional theatres across the country including The Guthrie Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, The Playwrights Center in Minneapolis and Santa Barbara's own Ensemble Theatre Company. She also directed Out of the Box Theatre Company's premier production of Reefer Madness, and guest directed scenes for Assassins. As Artistic Directors, Sara and the very talented Emily Jewell founded Elements Theatre Collective in 2011. Sara directed Elements' premier production, boom, and will be directing Gruesome Playground Injuries, opening this July.
MANDEE SIKICH (Music Director; Pianist) received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from The Master's College and has been admitted to the graduate program at UCSB to begin her Master of Music degree in Accompanying in Fall 2012. Mandee serves as the Westmont College Choir accompanist and maintains private teaching studios in Santa Barbara and Santa Clarita. This is Mandee's third production with Out of The Box Theatre and she is thrilled to be working with such a talented cast and crew.
KATIE WILLIAMS (Asst Stage Manager) is a recent graduate of UC Santa Barbara with a degree in dramatic arts. At UCSB she had the pleasure of stage managing The Office, Revolution Bunny, Merry Wives of Windsor, and She Stoops to Conquer. She has also stage managed Roses with Ratatat Theater Group and Boom with Elements Theatre Collective.
