Casts Announced for B.R.O.K.E.N CODE B.I.R.D SWITCHING World Premiere & More Berkshire Theatre Group

Berkshire Theatre Group and Kate Maguire have announced casting for shows in BTG's Early Summer 2022 Season. The full season will feature B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching, a world premiere play and recipient of an NEA Grants for Arts Projects Award; Once, a Tony Award-winning musical; Songs For a New World, the first musical by a Tony Award winner; Dracula, a classic gothic tale of horrors; and Edward Albee's Seascape, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

At The Unicorn Theatre

B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching by Tara L. Wilson Noth will have its world premiere this summer at The Unicorn Theatre and is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. In this timely play, a woman representing a black teenager accused of murder is forced to face truths about marriage, race and the choices she has made and the unspoken lies she told herself to conform. Wilson Noth says, "I believe in the power of words. I believe they are the greatest strength this world has... I feel very fortunate that I could use my words to craft this story. It is a story of race and identity, of promise and purpose... but perhaps more importantly, it is the story of the potency of being seen. The universal need to be seen for who we are. When we truly see each other, we can begin an honest dialogue... I hope this play can succeed in beginning that conversation."

At The Colonial Theatre

From the very first note, Once draws you in and never lets go. Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical, Once tells the story of a guy who gave up on love and music and the girl who inspired him to dream again. Director Gregg Edelman reflected, "I love this show. I wish we were going into rehearsal tomorrow. Its deeply romantic score is beautifully paired with a script that is every bit as touching as it is funny. A truly rare piece of theatre. I can't wait to get to work on it."

Season Discounts & Ticket Information

BTG Bundle

For the 2022 Season, BTG is offering a BTG Bundle. With this bundle, purchase one ticket to four of the upcoming BTG produced shows for $200 (fees included), equalling a discount of up to 66%. This offer is good for any seat to any produced performance. The discount is not retroactive and must be applied at point of purchase. This offer is available by phone or in person only.

BTGY (Young Adult)

Young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 can purchase one ticket to any BTG produced show for $30 (fees included). This offer is available by phone or in person only. Additionally, one BTG presented show ticket may be purchased for 10% off the single ticket price (rental events not included).

EBT Card to Culture Program

EBT Card to Culture is a collaboration between the Mass Cultural Council and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services' Department of Transitional Assistance. This is available to anyone with EBT, WIC, or ConnectorCare Insurance. Offer includes: Two tickets to any BTG produced show at the rate of $5.00 each. All additional fees are also waived. These tickets are subject to availability as seating is limited. This offer is available by phone or in person only.

Tickets for all of BTG's exciting summer season productions are on sale now. All plays, schedules, casting and prices are subject to change. To purchase tickets, visit www.BerkshireTheatreGroup.org or contact the BTG Ticket Office by calling 413-997-4444.

The ticket office is open Tuesday through Sunday 12pm-5pm or on any performance day from 12pm until curtain.

BTG's Pittsfield Campus is located at 111 South Street, (The Colonial Theatre) Pittsfield, MA. BTG's Stockbridge Campus is located at 6 East Street, (The Unicorn Theatre) Stockbridge, MA.

At The Unicorn Theatre

B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching

written by Tara L. Wilson Noth

directed by Kimille Howard

at The Unicorn Theatre
on the Larry Vaber Stage

Previews: Thursday, June 23 at 7pm and Friday, June 24 at 7pm
Opening/Press Night: Saturday, June 25 at 7pm

Sensory Friendly: Tuesday, July 5 at 7pm
Closing: Saturday, July 9 at 7pm

Tickets: Preview: $45

Tickets: Sensory Friendly: $15
Tickets: $56

ABOUT:

After unbearable loss, a grieving attorney takes a pro bono case representing a black teenager accused of murder. When an alluring stranger steps in to help, she is left questioning who she is and what she wants. While fighting for the young man's innocence, she is forced to confront the devastating truth about marriage, race and the woman she has chosen to be.

B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching, written by Tara L. Wilson Noth, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, is a play about the choices we make and the unspoken lies we tell ourselves to make peace with those choices. This World Premiere will be directed by Kimille Howard (Regional: Quamino's Map, Highway 1, USA, Night Trip, The Visit, The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson) and will feature Almeria Campbell (Off Broadway: Night Club Cantata; TV: Law & Order Criminal Intent) as Evelyn Payne; Rebecca L. Hargrove (Regional: In the Parlour, Evita and Cabin in the Sky, Aquanetta; National Tour: The Mikado; TV/Film: House of Cards, Random Acts of Flyness, My Asian Auntie, The Fix, Single Record) as Katherine Morgan; Torsten Johnson (Off Broadway: Dying City, Macbeth, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Regional: Lion in Winter, Sense and Sensibility, Hay Fever, A Christmas Carol) as Mark Bennett; Jahi Kearse (Broadway: Ain't Too Proud, Holler If Ya Hear Me!, Baby It's You!; Off Broadway: The Total Bent, The Fortress of Solitude) as Olen Porter; Justin Sturgis (The Scottsboro Boys, Spring Awakening, Into the Woods, Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, Disaster!) as DeShawn Payne; and DeAnna Supplee (Off Broadway: The Winter's Tale, On Strivers Row, Much Ado About Nothing, The Trojan Women, Fires in the Mirror, Laundry & Bourbon, Platanos Y Collard Greens, Romeo & Juliet) as Olivia Bennett.

The creative team consists of direction by Kimille Howard, scenic design by Baron E. Pugh, costume design by Danielle Preston, lighting design by John D. Alexander, composition and soundscape design by Michael Keck, projections design by David Murakami, intimacy coaching by Marie Percy, stage management by Caroline Stamm and casting direction by Alan Filderman.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Almeria Campbell (Evelyn Payne) grew up in Texas where she began acting-first in high school, and then at Texas Christian University. After attending Mason Gross School of Performing Arts at Rutgers University, Almeria made her TV debut on Law & Order Criminal Intent. Most recently she was in Night Club Cantata at the cell theater and also in New Amsterdam.

Rebecca L. Hargrove (Katherine Morgan) is pleased to join the cast of B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching in her first season with Berkshire Theatre Group. Previous productions include: In the Parlour (National Black Theater), Evita and Cabin in the Sky (City Center Encores!), Aquanetta (Bard Summerscape) and The Mikado (National Tour). Rebecca has also spent the past two seasons at The Metropolitan Opera in their productions of Die Meistersinger (Wagner), Fire Shut up in My Bones (Blanchard), and the 2020 Grammy Award-Winning Porgy and Bess (Gershwin). She has performed in concerts at Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center, David Geffen Hall and 54 Below. Her TV/Film credits include: House of Cards (Netflix), Random Acts of Flyness (HBO), My Asian Auntie (Amazon Prime), The Fix (Short Film) and Single Record (Revry).

Torsten Johnson (Mark Bennett) Upcoming: A Holiday Spectacular for Hallmark. Off Broadway: Second Stage: Dying City; The Acting Company: Macbeth, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Regional: Guthrie Theater: Lion in Winter, Sense and Sensibility, Hay Fever, A Christmas Carol; Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey: Mixed Blood; American Players Theatre; Theater Mu; Idaho Shakespeare Festival; Great Lakes Theater Company; Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival; Montana Shakespeare in the Parks; Door Shakespeare; Interlochen Shakespeare; The Warehouse; Parallel 45; Back Room Shakespeare Project. TV: That Damn Michael Che. Training: University of Minnesota / Guthrie Theater.

Jahi Kearse (Olen Porter) is thrilled to be making his Berkshire Theatre debut as a part of this exciting work. Broadway credits: Ain't Too Proud (The Imperial), Holler If Ya Hear Me! (The Palace), Baby It's You! (The Broadhurst). Off Broadway credits: The Total Bent, The Fortress of Solitude (The Public Theater). Select Regional Credits: A Christmas Carol (DTC), Lungs; Satchmo at the Waldorf, Bars & Measures (B Street), IndianJoe (Goodspeed), Maurice Hines' Yo Alice (Radio City Music Hall), Debbie Allen's Souls Possessed, Seussical (The Alliance Theater), Passing Strange;, Motherf**ker with the Hat, Topdog/Underdog (Studio Theater), Gut Bucket Blues; Sty Of The Blind Pig, Two Trains Running (True Colors). Jahi is a proud alumni of (YEA): The Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and (TCHS): Tri-Cities High School For the Visual and Performing Arts.

Justin Sturgis (Deshawn Payne) is a recent graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts in the Department of Drama's New Studio on Broadway and is excited to be working with Berkshire Theatre Group this summer. Justin previously appeared in Playhouse on Park's production of The Scottsboro Boys (Roy Wright) and Capital Rep's Next Act! New Play Summit in The Luckiest Trilogy (Josh). Other past performances include: Spring Awakening (Georg), Into the Woods (Jack), Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Lamar) and Disaster! (Scott).

DeAnna Supplee (Olivia Bennett) is a Philadelphia-born, New York City-trained actress. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she has also studied at the British American Drama Academy at the University of Oxford and The Actors Studio Drama School (MFA, Acting). NYC Theatre credits: The Winter's Tale (New York Shakespeare Exchange), On Strivers Row (Metropolitan Playhouse), Much Ado About Nothing (New York Shakespeare Exchange), The Trojan Women (The Flea Theater), Fires in the Mirror, Laundry & Bourbon, Platanos Y Collard Greens and Romeo & Juliet (Occupy Verona). Regional Theatre: The Niceties (Mile Square Theatre) Skeleton Crew (TheatreSquared). International Theater: Look/Alive (Edinburgh Fringe Festival). DeAnna is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

Tara L. Wilson Noth (Playwright) is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC and furthered her studies in playwriting at UCLA Ext Writer's Program. She has several scripts in development including Riders of the Storm, based on the book Requiem and Storyville, based on the first American Red Light District. Tara's play B.R.O.K.E.N code B.I.R.D switching was awarded the 2022 National Endowment of the Arts grant. (www.arts.gov). It was workshopped at The Berkshire Theatre Group before it enjoyed a sold out limited run in Los Angeles. The play returns to BTG for its world premiere this summer season.

Kimille Howard (Director) is a New York based director, deviser, writer and filmmaker. She is an Assistant Stage Director at the Metropolitan Opera, Artistic Director of the Lucille Lortel Theatre's NYC Public High School Playwriting Fellowship and co-founder of the Black Classical Music Archive. Recent directing credits: Quamino's Map (Chicago Opera Theater), Highway 1, USA (IU Opera), Night Trip (Opera NexGen), The Visit (ECU), The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson (Glimmerglass Festival), L'Amant Anonyme (Wolf Trap Opera), Death By Life: a virtual opera (White Snake Projects), In The Open by Mona Monsour (Western Connecticut State University), Soil Beneath by Chesney Snow (Primary Stages/59E59), $#!thole Country Clapback by Pascale Armand (Loading Dock Theatre), The Fellowship Plays (Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation), A Light Staggering by Jeesun Choi (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Tidwell: or the Plantation Play by Rodney Witherspoon II (Samuel French OOB Short Play Festival - winner), Low Power by Jon Kern (EST), and Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau (TheatreSquared). Kimille was awarded Best Director at the 2016 Thespis Festival for It's All About Lorrie by Joseph Krawczyk (Hudson Theater) which received a commercial run at The American Theater of Actors in 2017. Her work has also been seen at the National Black Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, MultiStages, The Circle in the Square Theatre Circle Series, The Queens Theatre, Juilliard, The Flea, The Lark, JAGFest, NYU, Sea Dog Theater, and Atlantic Acting School, CLASSIX/The Lewis Center, among others. Broadway: Ain't Too Proud (Assistant Director). She has worked with Des McAnuff, Rebecca Frecknall, Ruben Santiago Hudson, Emily Mann, Stephen Wadsworth, Lorca Peress and more. Recent Fellowships: New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellowship and the Manhattan Theatre Club Jonathan Alper Directing Fellowship. She has produced shows at the HERE Arts Center, FIAF, and more. She is a current member of The New Georges' Jam, a participant in New York Stage and Film's inaugural NYSAF NEXUS project, and a former Resident Director at the Flea Theater. She was the Series Producer for American Opera Project's first season of Music as the Message.

Baron E. Pugh (Scenic Designer) A Virginia native, Baron has designed for various New England theaters as well as others throughout the country. Select credits include: The Bluest Eye (associate designer, The Huntington Theatre); Tiny Beautiful Things, Radio Golf (Trinity Rep); The Comedy of Errors, Snug (Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey); How I Learned What I Learned (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); The Light, Breath and Imagination, The Wiz (Lyric Stage Company of Boston); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, School Girls (TheatreSquared); Passover, Choir Boy, School Girls (SpeakEasy Stage Company); Marie and Rosetta, The Three Musketeers (Greater Boston Stage Company). Baron received his MFA in Scenic Design from Boston University and is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.

Danielle Preston (Costume Designer) is a costume designer based in Washington DC. Recent theatre credits include designs for the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Studio Theatre, Hangar Theatre, Olney Theatre, Theater J, Mosaic Theater Company of DC, Florida Repertory Theatre, & Chicago Opera Theater. Preston also worked as a costume coordinator at the Washington National Opera. Professional fellowships include Kenan Costume Fellowship for the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute Fellowship in Costume Design. Preston holds an MFA in Costume Design from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Preston is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. She/Her.

John D. Alexander (Lighting Designer) Off Broadway: Migration-Reflections on Jacob Lawrence (National Tour). DC Area: This Bitter Earth, Topdog/Underdog (Helen Hayes Nomination), Crying on Television, Mary's Seacole, TransAM, Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine, Marie and Rosetta, Airness, Darius and Twig, Black Nativity, Disgraced, HERstory. Regional: Quamino's Map, Chad Deity, Paradise Blue, Skeleton Crew, Royale, The Snowy Day and Other Stories. TV: PBS: No Child. Upcoming: Hoola Hoopin Queen. He/Him/His.

Michael Keck (Composer and Soundscape Designer) Michael's music has accompanied productions at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Rep, Milwaukee Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, Guthrie Theatre, Rep St. Louis and many others. His international credits include: the Market Theatre Johannesburg South Africa, National Theater of Croatia-Zagreb, the Barbican Theatre Center and Bristol Old Vic. His acting credits include: the McCarter Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Pacific Conservatory, Santa Maria, CA, Portland Center Stage, the Alliance Theatre and various stages in New York, where he currently resides. Excerpts from his solo performance piece Voices in the Rain are published by Temple University Press and Alta Mira Press. Michael received three Barrymore Award nominations for his work in Philadelphia. He is a member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, ASCAP, PEN and the Dramatists Guild.

David Murakami (Projections Designer) is a projection designer and film director focused on the union between the cinematic and theatrical. Recent productions include: Everest at Dallas Opera, Elektra at Minnesota Opera, Luis Valdez' Zoot Suit and Valley of the Heart at the Mark Taper Forum, Singin' in the Rain with McCoy Rigby, Sense and Sensibility at South Coast Repertory, and Gordon Getty's Scare Pair at LA Opera Off Grand. Other design credits include: Opera Parallèle's Dead Man Walking, Champion, Les Enfants Terribles, Heart of Darkness, and Little Prince; Minnesota Opera's Das Rheingold, and Flight; the Sun Valley Summer Symphony's Daphnis et Chloé, and several musicals aboard Princess Cruises' flagship Royal-class vessels. Other companies include: Opéra de Montréal, San Jose Repertory Theater, SFJazz, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Atlanta Opera, Presidio Theatre, Arizona Opera, Skylight Theatre, and Riyadh Season. David teaches projection design at the University of California, Irvine.

Marie C. Percy (Intimacy Director) is an Intimacy Director, Laban Certified Movement Analyst, Registered Yoga Teacher, Choreographer and Movement Specialist based in Connecticut. She is currently an Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut where she teaches movement for actors in the BFA and MFA acting programs. She is the resident Intimacy Director and Movement Coach at Connecticut Repertory Theater, and the Chief Content Officer at Intimacy Directors and Coordinators. Marie is deeply committed to empowering actors to do their most dynamic work by teaching consent, acting as an advocate and collaborating to create compelling choreography. Recent Intimacy Direction credits include: Seven Spots on the Sun, Shakespeare in Love, Good Children, and If We Were Birds at Connecticut Repertory Theater.

Caroline Stamm (Stage Manager) Originally from central North Carolina, Caroline relocated to the beautiful Berkshires to continue pursuing her career in Stage Management with Berkshire Theatre Group. Recent BTG credits include: Footloose (SM), Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark (SM), White Christmas (PA), The Wizard of Oz (SM), Holiday Memories (PA), Godspell (PA), A Christmas Carol (2019 SM, 2018 SM, 2017 ASM), Other favorite regional credits include: The Barber of Seville (ASM) at The Greensboro Opera and Beautiful Star (ASM) at Triad Stage. Caroline is a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro ('17), where she obtained her BFA in Technical Production (with an emphasis in Stage Management) and minored in American Sign Language.

Alan Filderman (Casting Director) This is Alan's 30th season casting for Berkshire Theatre Group, where he also directed You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Godspell. Casting credits include Broadway and Off Broadway: 33 Variations, Grey Gardens, Marie Christine, Master Class, Once on This Island, Fiorello, Dessa Rose, Here Lies Jenny, A New Brain, A Beautiful Thing, Three Tall Women, From the Mississippi Delta, Song of Singapore, The Sum of Us. In addition, Alan has cast for regional theatres all over the country. Films include: Ice Age, Broadway Damage and Anastasia.

At The Colonial Theatre

Once

based upon the motion picture written and directed by John Carney

music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová

book by Enda Walsh

directed by Gregg Edelman

music direction by Andy Taylor

movement direction by Isadora Wolfe

at The Colonial Theatre

Previews: Friday, July 1 at 7pm and Saturday, July 2 at 7pm
Opening/Press Performance: Sunday, July 3 at 2pm

Sensory Friendly Performance: Tuesday, July 12 at 7pm
Closing: Saturday, July 16 at 7pm
Tickets: Preview: $60

Tickets: Sensory Friendly $15
Tickets: $75; Teen (12-17) $37.50; Premium Seats $90

ABOUT:

From the very first note, Once draws you in and never lets go. Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical, Once tells the story of a guy who gave up on love and music and the girl who inspired him to dream again.

On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. "Guy" is a singer and songwriter who spends his days fixing vacuums in the Dublin shop he runs with his father and his nights playing his music in local pubs. He is on the verge of giving up music altogether when "Girl," walks into the bar, hears him play and refuses to let him abandon his guitar. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolve into a powerful but complicated love story.

Featuring all of the magical songs from the critically acclaimed film, including the Oscar-winning "Falling Slowly," this is the only show to have music that won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Olivier Award and a Tony Award. Achingly beautiful, joyously uplifting, it strikes an unforgettable chord in audiences and speaks to the power of music to connect us all. A show like that only comes around Once.

The production will be directed by Tony Award nominee Gregg Edelman (Broadway: City of Angels, 1776, Les Misérables, Anything Goes, Cabaret; BTG: White Christmas, Coming Back Like A Song, Constellations, Arsenic and Old Lace) and will feature Caleb Adams (National Tour: Once, The Sound of Music; Regional: Smoke on the Mountain) as Eamon; Will Boyajian (Million Dollar Quartet, Titanic, Jersey Boys, How They Built America, Smoke on The Mountain, The Addams Family) as Svec; Benjamin Camenzuli (Canada: As You Like It (RMTC), Grease (Irregular Entertainment), Once (Mirvish Productions, Neptune Theatre, Edmonton Citadel Theatre), Ring of Fire (Thousand Islands Playhouse) as Andrej; Ella Fish as Ivanka; Andrea Goss (Broadway: Indecent, Cabaret, Once, Rent. National Tour: Cabaret) as Girl; Shani Hadjian (National Tours: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Wizard of Oz, Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Regional: Fun Home, Spamalot, Les Miserables) as Baruska; Adam Huel Potter (Broadway: Misery; Off Broadway: Murder; National Tour: Once) as Billy; Emma Proskin as Ivanka; Pearl Rhein (Broadway: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. NY Theatre: The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare in the Park) as Reza; Andy Taylor (Broadway: Once) as Bank Manager; David Toole (Regional: Count of Monte Cristo, School of Rock, Once, Rock of Ages) as Guy; EJ Zimmerman (Broadway: Les Misérables. National Tour: Avenue Q. Regional: Cabaret, Oliver!, Miss Saigon) as Ex-Girlfriend; Kurt Zischke (Signs Of Life, Whistle Down The Wind, The Buddy Holly Story, The Three Sisters, Antigone, King Lear) as Da; and J. Michael Zygo (Broadway: Once; Off Broadway: Once, Man Of Rock; National Tours: Rock of Ages, The Wedding Singer, Bridges of Madison County, Annie, Oklahoma!) as Emcee.

The creative team of Once consists of direction by Tony Award nominee Gregg Edelman, music direction/piano by Andy Taylor, movement direction by Isadora Wolfe, scenic design by Josafath Reynoso, costume design by Elivia Bovenzi Blitz, lighting design by Matthew E. Adelson, sound design by Nathan Leigh, resident dialect coach Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer, casting direction by Alan Filderman, stage management by Pamela Edington and assistant stage management by Jenn Gallo.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Caleb Adams (Eamon) National Tour: Once (Swing), The Sound of Music (Ensemble/ Understudy Rolf). Recent: Smoke on the Mountain (Dennis, Totem Pole Playhouse). Film/TV: Fire with Fire (Josh), Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (Teen Joe Backup).

Will Boyajian (Svec) is thrilled to be making his Once debut. A New York native, theatre credits include: Million Dollar Quartet, Titanic, Jersey Boys, How They Built America, Smoke on The Mountain and The Addams Family. TV/Film credits include: Rachael Ray, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Queen(s), AustinTV and The Travel Channel. Founder/President of Hopeful Cases, a NYC based philanthropic group using street performing and web-shows to assist homeless and financially insecure individuals across the country. In conjunction with this, his live musical improv show "Rockabilly Bass Slapping Sea Shanty Extravaganza [...Of Kazoo and Good Times]" has been viewed over 72 Million times across the globe. NYSSSA (08), Ithaca College (2012), Co-Head of Theatre Faculty DEK School in Ukraine (2014). Recipient of TriBeCa Film Festival's Disruptive Innovation Award (2017).

Benjamin Camenzuli (Andrej) is thrilled to be starting his career in the US with the show that started his career in Canada. Previous credits include: As You Like It (RMTC), Grease (Irregular Entertainment), Once (Mirvish Productions, Neptune Theatre, Edmonton Citadel Theatre), Ring of Fire (Thousand Islands Playhouse), Jukebox Hero: The Musical (Annerin Theatricals), Plaid Tidings (Sudbury Theatre Centre).

Ella Fish (Ivanka) is excited to be performing in her very first role (outside her own house) Ivanka in the Berkshire Theatre Group's production of Once. Ella, a Berkshire native, was born at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington and has lived in Sandisfield in the Southeast corner of Berkshire County her entire 6 years. She attends Kindergarten at New Marlborough Central Elementary with "her boys," her twin brothers Nate and Soren. Ella loves to dance and is taking her first class with Berkshire Pulse. At home she is constantly singing, often with the whole family, drawing, and making crafts. She loves being outside where she will pick up most any insect or reptile she comes across. Having grown up being read to, Ella and her brothers love books and libraries. Ella would like to thank her dads and brothers for their love and support.

Andrea Goss (Girl) Broadway: Indecent, Cabaret, Once and RENT. She played Sally Bowles in the national tour of Cabaret. She has appeared in regional productions of Jane Eyre, The River, Indecent, Sherwood, A Civil War Christmas, Once, Striking 12, Zorro, A Christmas Carol, Venice, Tarzan, High School Musical, Sound of Music and Big River. NYC readings/workshops include: The Wrong Man, Beau, K-Pop, Zapata, August Rush, Freckleface Strawberry and Casanova Returns. She also appeared in RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway.

Shani Hadjian (Baruska) National Tours: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Wizard of Oz, Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Regional Favorites: Fun Home, Spamalot, Les Miserables, Caroline, or Change, Evolution of (Henry) Mann and As You Like It. Graduate of The Hartt School.

Adam Huel Potter (Billy) is a New York City based character actor and an award-winning musician originally from Kentucky. An alumnus of Circle in the Square Theatre School and NYU Tisch, he is a proud member of Actor's Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Adam is thrilled to be making his debut this summer for Berkshire Theatre Group, here at the Colonial Theatre. Broadway: Misery. Off Broadway: Murder. Notable Credits: Once (National Tour), Floyd Collins, Uncle Remus (ESPA at the Lucille Lortel), Twelfth Night and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Television: FBI: Most Wanted. Film: Blood and Snow, Fortress: Sniper's Eye, Midnight in the Switchgrass, Hard Kill, Survive the Game, Deadlock, Gasoline Alley, Apex, The Wrong Place, Soul Assassin, Paradise City, Wire Room, Breach and Trauma Center.

Emma Proskin (Ivanka) is 7 years old and is in school at the Montessori School of the Berkshires. They love dancing and take ballet, tap, jazz, and Irish Step with the Breifne O Ruairc performance troupe. Emma also plays violin, ukulele, and sings with Kids 4 Harmony, an El Sistema program through 18 Degrees. This is Emma's first musical! They would like to thank their family, especially their puppies Baxter and Loki.

Pearl Rhein (Reza) is an actor, writer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer based in New York. Broadway: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. NY Theatre: The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare in the Park. Pearl's music has been performed at The Bushwick Book Club, Necromancers of the Public Domain, The Musical Theatre Factory, Red Bull Theatre, Page 73, Ma-Yi Theatre, and People's Light Theater. Original works include a song cycle about women in S.T.E.M. (complete) and a cabaret about Radium (in progress). Pearl plays over 15 instruments and teaches piano. MFA in Acting: UC San Diego. BA: Ball State University. Proud member of Ring of Keys, Maestra, SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, American Federation of Musicians and ASCAP.

Andy Taylor (Bank Manager) graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a degree in cello performance and a minor in acting, then spent most of his career as an actor. With the rising popularity of shows that employ actor/musicians, he has dusted off the musician part of his resume. He was the music captain on Broadway for the Tony winning Once and music directed the production at the South Coast Repertory Theatre. He is currently finishing his MFA in Theatre/Directing at the University of Montana. His versatility/inability to choose one discipline has landed him many interesting gigs, including touring and recording throughout Iceland with Apartment Sessions and arranging music at Stephen Schwartz's request for a benefit for oppressed LGBTQ citizens of Russia. He is very proud of both singing (Gershwin's Tip-Toes) and playing the cello (in a recital with guitarist/composer James Keating) at Carnegie Hall. He plays a variety of string instruments, loves to teach, regularly busks in the streets and subways of New York City with musician extraordinaire Drew McVety, and is delighted to continue a long friendship with Gregg Edelman as he assists on this production.

David Toole (Guy) a Pittsburgh, PA native, is making his BTG debut! Select Regional credits include: Tuacahn Performing Arts Center UT: Count of Monte Cristo (The Count/Edmund Dantès), School of Rock (Theo / Dewey u/s]); Theatre Raleigh NC: Once (Guy), Rock of Ages (Drew); Pittsburgh Musical Theater: Tarzan (Tarzan), Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas), Newsies (Jack Kelly), West Side Story (Tony), We Will Rock You (Galileo), Les Mis (Marius); Pittsburgh CLO: Once (Emcee), Pump Boys and Dinettes (Jim), First Date (Reggie/Gabe). Front Porch Theatrics: The Last 5 Years (Jamie), A Man of No Importance (Robbie). In 2018 David performed as a soloist alongside Tony Award-winning composer Jason Robert Brown at the Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh NC. David was recently in studio tracking vocals for a new musical by Tony and Grammy Nominated composer Frank Wildhorn, is one of 5 rotating National Anthem singers for the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL), vocalist/songwriter for the band Identity X (idxmusic.com).

EJ Zimmerman (Ex-Girlfriend) BTG debut! Broadway: Les Misérables (Eponine u/s). National Tour: Avenue Q. Other favorites: Sally Bowles in Cabaret (Gulf Coast Symphony); Nancy in Oliver! (Goodspeed Opera House); Kim in Miss Saigon (Riverside Theatre, Arvada Center - Henry Award); Reza in Once (Geva Theatre, Pioneer Theatre); Julia in Writing Kevin Taylor (Meadow Brook Theatre); Maureen in RENT (Oguma Playhouse); Mira in The Porch on Windy Hill (Ivoryton Playhouse); and especially all the roles originated and developed in readings and festivals.

Kurt Zischke (Da) Broadway, Off-Broadway & National Tours include: Signs Of Life, Whistle Down The Wind, The Buddy Holly Story, The Three Sisters, Antigone, King Lear, A Doll's House, The Beaux' Stratagem, George Abbott's Broadway, Barbara's Blue Kitchen, and Ulysses In Nighttown, among others. Regionally he has appeared across the country in over 130 productions ranging from Julius Caesar (Brutus) to My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins) at such theatres as The Repertory Theatre Of St. Louis, The Old Globe, Northern Stage, The Alliance, The Huntington, The Pioneer, Cincinnati Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse, Pittsburgh Public, La Jolla Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arkansas Rep, GeVa, The Cape Playhouse and the Utah, New Jersey and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals.

J. Michael Zygo (Emcee) was an original cast member/musician of Tony Award-winning Once on Broadway (Emcee, u/s Guy/Billy, Dance Capt., Assoc. Cond.) and featured on the Grammy Award-winning Cast Album. Broadway: School of Rock (Ensemble, u/s Ned/Theo). Off Broadway: Once (NYTW), Man Of Rock (NYMF). Tours: Rock of Ages - 1st Nat. (Swing, u/s Drew/StaceeJaxx/Franz/Dennis/Hertz), The Wedding Singer (Robbie Hart), Bridges of Madison County - 1st Nat. (Ensemble, u/s Bud), Annie (Rooster), and Oklahoma! - 1st Nat. (Will Parker). Film/TV: Rock of Ages (featured dancer), Unforgettable (Thug), Tony Awards 2012 and 2013 (opening line!) Other productions of Once: Virginia Repertory/The Fulton Theatre (Emcee, Music Dir., Assoc. Choreo.), Pittsburgh CLO (Director), and the most recent National Tour (Co-Director, Music Dir., restaged original Choreo.)

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

Gregg Edelman (Director) is proud to be returning to the BTG for his ninth consecutive year. He returns this summer after directing White Christmas last December. His previous productions include Constellations, for which he received a Best Director nomination, and the Best Musical winner, Coming Back Like A Song. Other productions include Arsenic and Old Lace and What We May Be. As an actor, he has performed on Broadway in fifteen musicals earning him four Tony nominations, the Drama Desk Award and numerous Outer Critics nominations. His Broadway credits include: City of Angels, 1776, Les Misérables, Anything Goes and Cabaret. His films include: the just completed She Said and She Came To Me, as well as Little Children, Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Proposal, and Spiderman 2. Television credits include recurring roles on House of Cards, The Sinner and Shades Of Blue, as well as guest-starring on all of the Law and Order series, 30 Rock, Blue Bloods and The Good Wife, among others. His new play, The Fitzgerald Project, is an evening based on the short stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Andy Taylor (Music Director/Piano) graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a degree in cello performance and a minor in acting, then spent most of his career as an actor. With the rising popularity of shows that employ actor/musicians, he has dusted off the musician part of his resume. He was the music captain on Broadway for the Tony winning Once and music directed the production at the South Coast Repertory Theatre. He is currently finishing his MFA in Theatre/Directing at the University of Montana. His versatility/inability to choose one discipline has landed him many interesting gigs, including touring and recording throughout Iceland with Apartment Sessions and arranging music at Stephen Schwartz's request for a benefit for oppressed LGBTQ citizens of Russia. He is very proud of both singing (Gershwin's Tip-Toes) and playing the cello (in a recital with guitarist/composer James Keating) at Carnegie Hall. He plays a variety of string instruments, loves to teach, regularly busks in the streets and subways of New York City with musician extraordinaire Drew McVety, and is delighted to continue a long friendship with Gregg Edelman as he assists on this production.

Isadora Wolfe (Movement Director) is from Lowell, Massachusetts. She has worked with choreographers and directors such as Johannes Wieland (NYC and Staatstheater Kassel, Germany), Martha Clarke (Garden of Earthly Delights and Angel Reapers original cast), Mark Dendy, Maxine Doyle and Richard Jones (The Hairy Ape at the Park Avenue Armory). Isadora is now Artistic Associate for Punchdrunk (UK), after her post as Resident Director for its NYC production of Sleep No More. She's had the pleasure of appearing in several BTG plays (Holiday Memories, Peter Pan, Siddartha, Zorba), and has created movement for productions including Eric Hill's The Einstein Project, Holiday Memories and Macbeth; David Auburn's The Skin of Our Teeth and The Importance of Being Earnest; and Gray Simons' Wizard of Oz. Isadora teaches and coaches dancers and actors at various institutions and festivals, and is currently adjunct faculty at The Juilliard School.

Josafath Reynoso (Scenic Designer) Award-winning scenic designer Josafath Reynoso was born in Mexico and was awarded the Gold Medal for Scenic Design at the World Stage Design 2017 in Taiwan for his production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, the 2021 Virginia Theatre Critics Circle Award, 2015 USITT Scenic Design Award, 2014 SETC Scenic Design Award, 2013 Regional BroadwayWorld Award, among others. In the US, he has designed for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, ZACH Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Clarence Brown Theatre, Serenbe Playhouse, Warehouse Theatre, Triad Stage, Lexington Children's Theatre, among others. International credits include: new productions for Teatro Salvador Novo, Foro Antonio Lopez Mancera, UNAM Facultad de Arquitectura, and Teatro Esperanza Iris in Mexico; Teatro del Borde in Argentina, Escena 8 in Venezuela, and KCDC in Israel.Esperanza Iris in Mexico; Teatro del Borde in Argentina, Escena 8 in Venezuela and KCDC in Israel.

Elivia Bovenzi Blitz (Costume Designer) is a costume designer based in New York City. She has spent the past five seasons in the Berkshires designing costumes for Berkshire Theatre Group and Barrington Stage Company. For BTG: White Christmas, Wizard of Oz, and Shirley Valentine. For BSC: A Glass Menagerie, Typhoid Mary, The Birds, American Underground, If I Forget, Kunstler, Peerless, and Time Flies and Other Comedies, for which she was nominated for a 2019 Berkshire Theatre Critics Award for Outstanding Costume Design. Elivia has worked as an assistant designer on Broadway shows including: My Fair Lady, Fiddler on The Roof, War Paint, Incognito and The Father. She has designed an extensive repertoire of Shakespeare including productions with Shakespeare On the Sound, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Elm Shakespeare, New York Shakespeare Exchange and Yale. Over the course of her career, she has worked at The Public Theater, Alliance Theatre, Two River Theater, Hartford Stage, LaMaMa, Ars Nova, NYU and Troy Foundry Theater. She holds an MFA in Design from the Yale School of Drama. Elivia currently is an Adjunct Professor of Theater Design at CUNY Queens College and Adjunct Professor of Fashion History at FIT. Proud member of United Scenic Artists Local 829.

Matthew E. Adelson (Lighting Designer) Also this season for BTG: Seascape. Previously: White Christmas, Shirley Valentine, Nina Simone: Four Women, The Wizard of Oz, Holiday Memories, Godspell, A Christmas Carol (2006 to 2019), Shrek The Musical, The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, Naked, Tarzan, The Music Man, Fiorello! (Stockbridge and New York), Thoreau, Poe, Tommy, Babes in Arms, Red Remembers, The Einstein Project, Broadway By The Year, A Man for All Seasons, Caretaker, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Glass Menagerie, Amadeus, Rat in the Skull, The Misanthrope, Floyd Collins, Talley's Folly, A Saint She Ain't (Stockbridge and Westport), Miss Julie, Dream Play, Love's Fire, Secret Lives of the Sexists and Life's A Dream. He has also designed extensively throughout the Berkshires, for Barrington Stage, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Berkshire Opera, Jacob's Pillow and Williams College, among others. Matthew is the Production Manager for Five College Dance, in the Pioneer Valley (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith and UMass Amherst) and was the Director of Production for the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center from 2005 to 2014. MFA: Yale Drama School.

Nathan Leigh (Sound Designer) is thrilled to return to BTG where he has previously designed White Christmas, Godspell, Working, Million Dollar Quartet, Amadeus, and Siddhartha. Off-Broadway: Signature Theatre (Our Brother's Son), MCC (Space Dogs), New York Theatre Workshop (Nat Turner In Jerusalem), Cherry Lane (Original Sound), Red Bull Theatre (The Duchess of Malfi). Regional: Huntington Theatre (Skeleton Crew), American Repertory Theatre (James and the Giant Peach), Stoneham Theatre (IRNE Best Sound Design 2009 for Strangers On A Train), and Central Square Theatre (IRNE Best Sound Design 2010 for The Hound of the Baskervilles). With Kyle Jarrow, Nathan co-created the musicals Big Money (WTF Boris Segall Fellowship 2008) and The Consequences (World Premiere 2012 at WHAT). With the Liars and Believers ensemble, Nathan Leigh composed scores for adaptations of Song of Songs, Icarus, and A Story Beyond. Nathan's latest album is Myths, Conspiracy Theories, and Other Stuff I Made Up To Sound Interesting.

Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer (Resident Dialect Coach) Jennifer's coaching credits for Berkshire Theatre Group include: Shirley Valentine, The Importance of Being Earnest, Holiday Memories, What the Jews Believe, Outside Mullingar, Church & State and A Christmas Carol. Other coaching credits include: work for Goodspeed Musicals, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Bated Breath Theatre at 59E59 NYC, Bay Street Theater, Playhouse on Park West Hartford, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, The Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Saratoga Shakespeare Company, Dirty Pretty Theatre at 45 Downstairs (Melbourne, Australia), The Rose Theatre Bankside (London), Oval Theatre (London) and the short film: Crime Wave. Jennifer teaches on the MFA and BFA Acting programs at University of Connecticut and coaches for the Connecticut Repertory Theatre. She holds an MFA in Voice Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London and trained as an Actor at ArtsEd, London. Jennifer has performed in theatre, film, TV and audio drama/narration.

Pamela Edington (Stage Manager) has been hoping to return to Berkshire Theatre Group and The Colonial Theatre since she stage-managed Rock and Roll Man, in the summer of 2019. Since then: the Bucks County Playhouse productions of Always...Patsy Cline and Ebenezer Scrooge's Big Playhouse Christmas Show, as well as rehearsals for Other World. Since October of last year, she has been part of the stage management team for The Actors Studio Drama School MFA Program, at PACE University. Favorite career memories include productions of: The Weir, Collected Stories with Ms. Uta Hagen (Off Broadway/The Stratford Festival), Family Secrets, Three Mo' Tenors, Coastal Disturbances, Prelude to a Kiss, Jacques Brel, The Green Heart, Jesse Kornbluth's, The Color of Light, and the Off Broadway "reboot" of Smokey Joe's Café. Many thanks to the wonderful Jenn Gallo as well as all of the BTG family who have helped to create this very special production!

Jenn Gallo (Assistant Stage Manager) is an NYC-based stage manager who is so pumped to return for a 4th season at BTG. She is also a proud ally of the LGBTQ community. As of April 2022, over 250 laws negatively targeting this community have been introduced, many of which are especially threatening to trans kids and endanger the lives of all LGBTQ youth. We can help to protect our friends by contacting our representatives and donating, if we are able, to organizations such as The Trevor Project (@trevorproject) and the Human Rights Campaign (@hrc). You are worthy, you are loved, you know who you are.

Alan Filderman (Casting Director) This is Alan's 30th season casting for Berkshire Theatre Group, where he also directed You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown and Godspell. Casting credits include Broadway and Off Broadway: 33 Variations, Grey Gardens, Marie Christine, Master Class, Once on This Island, Fiorello, Dessa Rose, Here Lies Jenny, A New Brain, A Beautiful Thing, Three Tall Women, From the Mississippi Delta, Song of Singapore, The Sum of Us. In addition, Alan has cast for regional theatres all over the country. Films include: Ice Age, Broadway Damage and Anastasia.

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