Remember to buy your tickets now and come see this excellent production!!!
PS - The cast will be staying in Woodland Valley during the entire run of the show so remember to say hello if you see one of them on the road.
Amy Wallace appeared in the World Premiere of “The Kafka Project” an “Our Shoes Are Red” production at the Ohio Theater in NYC. Regional theatre credits include Little Red Riding Hood in “Into the Woods”, Nancy in “Oliver!”, and Maria in “Man of La Mancha”. She has served as the Artistic Director at STS Playhouse in Phoenicia for the past year and a half where she directed “The Miser” and “Godspell”. Amy has a BA in Acting from Muhlenberg College and also studied at NYU and The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Amy is grateful for her roles as both a performer and Artistic Administrator of The Phoenicia Festival of the Voice.
Alex Agard - is delighted to be a part of the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice. Favorite credits include Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing…Forum, Beast in Beauty and the Beast and Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime. In February, Alex concluded a 2-year run playing the role of Kiume in Festival of the Lion King at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, performing the role over 1,400 times. He is currently based in New York City. www.alexagard.com
Austin Ku - NYC: Jackson Repertory Theatre (167 Tongues), Opening Doors (Is There Life After High School?), NYMF (Whatever Man), readings at Playwrights Horizons, Prospect Theater and Leviathan Lab. Tours: SF Opera (Pirates of Penzance/Frederic), SF Shakespeare Festival (Much Ado About Nothing), National Jewish Theatre Festival (The MeshugaNutcracker!/Velvel). Regional: New Repertory Theatre (Gutenberg! The Musical!/Doug), Lyric Stage of Boston (Adrift in Macao/Tempura), Kansas City Starlight Theatre, TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley, San Jose Stage, Northeast Shakespeare Ensemble, Lenape Center, Willows Theatre, 42nd Street Moon. Concerts: Boston Pops and Great Waters Pops. Awards: Dean Goodman Award (Sweeney Todd/Anthony), Sammy Award (Cabaret/The Emcee). Education: The Boston Conservatory. www.Austin-Ku.com.
Janna Cardia - Tours: Cinderella (Starring Lea Solanga), Queen, Wizard of Oz, Wicked Witch u/s, Regional: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Rona (Riverside Theatre), Oliver!, Nancy, Grease, Rizzo, Into The Woods, Witch, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Narrator (Fulton Opera House), The Full Monty, Georgie (Arkansas Repertory), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change Woman 1 (Allenbury Playhouse), Pump Boys and Dinettes, Prudie (Fireside Theatre), Children Of Eden, Eve (Paramount Arts Center), Goodbye Girl, Paula, A Wonderful Life, Mary (Wagon Wheel Playhouse), Singer ’01, ’06, ’07 (Sacramento Music Circus), Falsettos, Trina (Porchlight After Dark Award). www.jannacardia.com
Ricarda O’Conner (Director) began her theatrical life as a dancer-singer-actress in New York City. After performing in musicals across the United States and in Europe, her career took a sudden turn when she was asked---at the last minute---to direct and choreograph Slaughter on Tenth Avenue for the Chautauqua Festival Ballet. Ricarda adored the creative process, as well as collaborating with 30 dancers and a symphony orchestra. Her ballet was enthusiastically received by an audience of 8,000. A new course was set.
As choreographer or director-choreographer, Ricarda worked Off-Broadway in New York and also in American regional theatre. Her musicals include Closer Than Ever for the Eastman Opera Theatre, My Fair Lady for the Candlewood Playhouse, Kismet for Equity Library Theatre, Guys and Dolls, Little Shop of Horrors, and Marry Me a Little for the New American Theatre, The Sunset Gang for the Jewish Repertory Theatre, and Gifts of the Magi for the Lamb’s Theatre.
In 2007---after nearly 40 years in New York City---Ricarda moved upstate to the Catskill Mountains with her husband, Michael Ottavi. They are now happy full-time residents of Phoenicia, NY.
Ricarda is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
Eric Thomas Johnson (Musical Director) is an award-winning composer with premieres of his works in major cities across the country and abroad, including New York, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Nashville, and Innsbruck (Austria), to name a few. He has also worked professionally as music director, pianist, and arranger in many capacities, including work as producer/co-arranger on a recently released children’s album (Going Green! – available nationwide). He was last seen as music director for Theater Ten Ten’s winter production of The Cradle Will Rock, and he received a 2009 AUDELCO award nomination for “Outstanding Musical Direction” in Harlem Repertory Theatre’s production of The Wiz. He holds Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Music from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Vanderbilt University, respectively. He wants to thank his wife Mandy for all her support and credit her for his involvement in theatre. Visit www.ericthomasjohnson.com for more details.
Here are a few more crew bios that you might be interested in reading.
FRANK SPINA (Costumes) BFA from Parsons school of Design, past faculty member of Parsons School of Design. Designed interior for The Tribeca Grill for Robert DeNiro and Drew Nieporent. Currently the Designer of Kay Unger New York Evening, Lives in Hoboken and Shandaken.
Ray Recht (Set and Lighting Design), Broadway designs include The Flowering Peach, Trick, Slab Boys, The Babe, and national tours of Mrs. Klein, Sarafina, Annie, and Jesus Christ Superstar, over 20 Off-Broadway productions, such as Collected Stories, Marc Salem’s Mind Games, Mrs. Klein and over 200 shows for many regional theaters. Internationally he designed for Wien Staatsoper Ballet, Stratford Festival Ontario, and Manitoba Theatre Centre. Additionally he has been production designer for Feature Films, Television shows and Commercials. Mr. Recht is a Professor of Theatre and Coordinates the Design/Tech Theater Program at Marymount Manhattan College, and is a member of United Scenic Artists-Local 829.
