22.Apr.2010 Meet the Cast and Production Team of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS
La Shawn Banks Passepartout et al.
La Shawn hails from Chicago and makes his debut at the IRT. Chicago credits include The Island at Remy Bumppo Theatre; Old Glory, The Turn of the Screw, Othello, The Duchess of Malfi, and To the Green Fields Beyond at Writers’ Theatre; Edward II at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Execution of Justice at About Face Theatre; A Year with Frog and Toad at Chicago Childrens’ Theatre; and five seasons of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre. Regionally he has worked with Summer Shakespeare at Notre Dame, Milwaukee Shakespeare Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and the Cleveland Play House. “Thank you, Bill.”
Zack Buell Gauthier Ralph et al.
Zack is very proud to be making his IRT debut with Around the World in 80 Days. Recent credits include the world premiere of Rewind by Laura Eason (The Side Project), Awake and Sing (u/s, Northlight Theatre), Blue Man Group as well as the world tour of Blue Man Group: How to Be a Megastar, and Cowboy Mouth (Producer’s Club, New York). Zack is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf, Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC, and New England Conservatory in Boston, where Buda and Moses taught him jazz drumming. “Thanks to Mom and Dad for their love and support.”
Jeff Cummings Phileas Fogg
Jeff is thrilled to make his IRT debut in Around the World in 80 Days. Recent credits include Garry in Noises Off for Theatre at the Center in Munster, Indiana, and as the theater critic in Curtains at the Drury Lane Theater in greater Chicago. Jeff worked for seven seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where favorite roles included Berowne in Love’s Labor’s Lost, Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Dr. Paramore in Shaw’s The Philanderer. Other regional credits include Cassius in Julius Caesar, Septimus in Arcadia, and Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile.
Minita Gandhi Aouda et al.
Minita is thrilled to make her IRT debut! Regional credits include Mary Zimmerman’s The Arabian Nights at Lookingglass Theatre; Half-Life, A Christmas Carol, and The Voysey Inheritance at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre; and Distracted at ATC. She will next be seen this summer as Viola in First Folio Theatre’s production of Twelfth Night. Minita is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and is currently studying aerial arts at the Actors Gymnasium. “I am thankful to God, my family, friends, and Dawn and Brooke of Gray Talent for supporting my dreams.”
John Lister Detective Fix et al.
Having grown up in West Lafayette, John is thrilled to be back home in Indiana performing with the IRT. Chicago credits include productions with Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Writer’s Theatre, Eclipse Theatre, and CollaborAction. Regional credits include productions with Peninsula Players, Notre Dame Summer Shakespeare, and the International Mystery Writer’s Festival. Film and television credits include Public Enemies (Universal), Prison Break (FOX), and The Beast (A&E). John received his B.S. from Ball State University and his M.F.A. from Michigan State University. He is a proud member of Actors Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
Mark Brown Playwright
Mark Brown is an award-winning writer and actor who has performed in theatres across the country. His films include Out of Sight, Holy Man, and Amy’s O. Notable TV credits include From the Earth to the Moon, House, Ally McBeal, Providence, Diagnosis Murder, and countless commercials and made-for-TV films. His play Around the World in 80 Days has literally been produced around the world. Awards for 80 Days include two Lillie Stoates Awards, including Best Production (Orlando Shakespeare Festival), four Shellie Awards, including Best Production (Center Rep Theatre), five Sarasota Magazine Theatre Award nominations (Florida Studio Theatre), and two Los Angeles Ovation Award nominations (the Colony Theatre). The Sacramento Bee named 80 Days Best Theatrical Comedy of 2004. His other plays include The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, China: The Whole Enchilada, and Poe: Deep into That Darkness Peering.
William Brown Director
Chicago director William Brown recently directed the world premiere of Brett Neveu’s Old Glory at Writers’ Theatre, where he has directed Jeff-nominated productions of As You Like It, Another Part of the Forest, Arms and the Man, Our Town, Rocket to the Moon, Misalliance, The Glass Menagerie, and Arthur Miller’s Incident at Vichy. At Northlight Theatre he has directed his own adaptation with original music of She Stoops to Conquer (After Dark Award), as well as The Chalk Garden and Lady Windermere’s Fan. At American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, he has directed Hay Fever, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Night of the Iguana, Shaw’s You Never Can Tell, Antony and Cleopatra, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Cherry Orchard, Twelfth Night, and Thornton Wilder’s The Matchmaker. As associate artistic director of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, he most recently directed his adaptation of Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare in the Schools, touring the rural areas of Montana. He also directs A Christmas Carol at the Goodman Theatre. Bill’s website—containing slideshows of some of his work—is at williambrowndirector.com.
Kevin Depinet Scenic Design
Kevin is delighted to be working at the IRT for his first time. Recent credits include American Buffalo, Dublin Carol, First Look Repertory of new plays 08 and 09, and associate designer for August Osage County at Steppenwolf; The Crowd You’re In With and High Holidays at the Goodman Theatre; American Buffalo at the McCarter Theatre; What The Butler Saw at the Court Theatre; Oh Coward at Writer’s Theatre; Miss Saigon, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Ragtime at Drury Lane; and Comedy of Errors at American Players Theatre, where this summer he will design Another Part of The Forest. Kevin just recently finished working on Michael Mann’s new film Public Enemies. He is also an adjunct professor of design at DePaul University. He studied at Ball State University and the Yale School of Drama.
Rachel Anne Healy Costume Design
Based in Chicago, Rachel has designed costumes for various stages, including the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Writers’ Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, the Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, American Theatre Co, the Next Theatre, Timeline Theatre, and Remy Bumppo Theatre. Regionally, she has designed with the Alliance Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, First Stage Children’s Theatre of Milwaukee, American Players Theatre, and Long Wharf Theatre. Upcoming productions include Milwaukee Repertory’s The Seafarer and American Players Theatre’s Another Part of the Forest.
Charles Cooper Lighting Designer
Charles is thrilled to be making his IRT Debut. Recent credits include Curtains at Drury Lane Oakbrook; Of Mice and Men and First Look Repertory of New Work at Steppenwolf Theatre; Old Glory, As You Like It, Another Part of the Forest, Seagull, and The doctor’s Dilemma at Writers’ Theatre; she Stoops to Conquer and The Chalk Garden at Northlight Theatre; Blue Door, the Defiant Muse, Court-Martial at Fort Devens, and Shoes at Victory Gardens Theatre; Around the World in 80 Days at Peninsula Players; Well and The Overwhelming at the Next Theatre; True West and Top Dog/Underdog (in rep), Speech and Debate, Half of Plenty, Heritage, and Orpheus Descending at American Theater Company; Rhymes with Evil, Creole, and The Last Supper for Infusion Theatre. Charles is an associate artist at TimeLine Theatre, where his many credits include All My Sons, Weekend, Dolly west’s Kitchen, Harmless, Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, A Man for All Season’s, Martin Furey’s Shot, and This Happy Breed. Other credits include work at Apple Tree Theatre, Teatro Vista, and numerous other theaters in and around Chicago. Charles is the recipient of five Jeff nominations and two After Dark Awards. He is proud to be a member of United Scenic Artists local 829. Charles lives in Oak Park with his wife Angela, son Ethan, and golden retriever Shelby. Please visit his web site at cooperportfolio.com.
Andrew Hansen Original Music and Sound Design
Andrew makes his IRT debut. He is an associate artist with Chicago’s TimeLine Theatre where he most recently designed The History Boys, selected as one of the 10 best productions of 2009 by the Wall Street Journal. In Chicago he has worked with the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Northlight, Writer’s Theatre, and others. He regularly collaborates with William Brown and will team again with him this summer on Another Part of the Forest at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin. He has composed music for short films, documentaries, one feature, and Lifetime’s Project Runway.
Richard J Roberts Dramaturg
As dramaturg for 12 of his 20 seasons with the IRT, Richard provides research for the IRT’s productions and works with playwrights in the development of new plays. He has also been a dramaturg for the New Harmony Project and the Bonderman Symposium. He has directed the IRT’s productions of Pretty Fire, The Giver, The Power of One, and Twelfth Night. Other directing credits include the Phoenix Theatre, Edyvean Repertory Theatre, Indianapolis Civic Theatre, and Anderson University. He was editor-in-chief of Arts Indiana magazine and has taught theatre courses at Butler University and IUPUI. He studied music at DePauw University and theatre at Indiana University. In 2003 he received a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.
Nathan Garrison Stage Manager
This is Nathan’s 14th season at the IRT. He has also worked at Center Stage in Baltimore and at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. In 2005, he was awarded a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis. This past summer, Nathan directed Much Ado about Nothing for HART in White River State Park.
Claire Simon Casting
Claire Simon and her associate Teresa Thoma have worked with the IRT on the casting for 23 productions, including Romeo and Juliet, The Heavens Are Hung in Black, Crime and Punishment, Doubt, Hamlet, Our Town, Young Lady from Rwanda, Inherit the Wind, Searching for Eden, Pride and Prejudice, and many more. Other regional credits include Missouri Rep, the Guthrie Theater, Madison Rep, Milwaukee Rep, the Clarence Brown Theatre, St. Louis Repertory, Cleveland Play House, and Jeff Daniels’s Purple Rose Theatre. Claire also casts for film, television, and commercials. Most recently she has worked on the A&E series The Beast starring Patrick Swayze and the films The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, Eagle Eye with Shia Lebouf, The Informant with Matt Damon, and A Home at the End of the World with Colin Ferrell and Sissy Spacek. She also cast the pilot and first season of the 20th Century Fox television series Prison Break, for which she won an Artios Award for casting.
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