'night, Mother at Spotlighters Theatre

Suzanne Beal (Director) was active in Baltimore theatre before moving to Frederick in 1996. Since then she has worked most often with the Maryland Ensemble Theatre as a board member and associate artist. She has directed many MET productions, most recently Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley. She also wrote I Am (Not) My Mother, originally produced with the MET. It received its fourth production at the Montana Actors Theatre. From 2013-2017, she was co-producing artistic director of Rep Stage where she directed Circle Mirror Transformation, The Baltimore Waltz and American Hero. She received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Maryland, with a specialty in modern American drama. Suzanne served as the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Frederick Community College and teaches theatre history and communication courses at Hood College where she recently directed The Heidi Chronicles. As always, thank you Valerie for yet another opportunity to tell an important story together.

Rachel Smith (Costume Designer) is a company member at Maryland Ensemble Theatre. Recent costuming credits are South & Saints at MET, The Heidi Chronicles at Hood College, HooDoo Love at Spotlighters, and Lifespan of a Fact also at MET.

Alan Zemla (Set Designer/Set Construction/Scenic Artist) has designed, built, and painted 58 productions at Spotlighters since designing his first show, Hello, Dolly! in 2012. He is now excited to take a well-deserved rest and move on to new adventures. (His back and knees will be grateful for the respite, too.) Alan’s previous work has been seen in Spotlighters productions of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Romeo and Juliet, God of Carnage, The Man Who Came to Dinner, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the American premier of A Sensation Novel, and the world premiere of Judy and the General, to name a few. If you enjoy the productions, do Alan a favor: bring a friend to Spotlighters and introduce them to the cool stuff they do.

Melissa Banister (Properties Mistress) was most recently seen on stage as Cassandra in Spotlighters’ production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike and is thrilled to return to assist the cast and crew of ‘night, Mother. When not on stage, Melissa supports Baltimore County Public Schools’ students and staff as a theatre arts teacher/director and an instructional coach. She thanks Nicholas, Matthew, and Peggy for their support with shopping, knitting, and hunting for the perfect prop. Melissa could not have completed the work without the incredibly helpful and talented Alan Zemla. She wishes him well in all his future endeavors. Melissa is grateful to Nicholas and Matthew for their constant inspiration and love. Enjoy the show!