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The cast of Stardust for Christmas |
Jessica Blinn, Rosalind Norris / Violin
Jessica, mezzo-soprano, violinist and teacher, has been playing music and singing since the age of five. She received her Bachelor’s in Music from Wesleyan University and completed her Master’s in vocal performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Highlights of her musical career include conducting and soloing in the Monteverdi Vespers, singing with the San Francisco based choir Volti, singing and playing with Olympia’s Cool Jazz society and sharing music with others through her teaching. She is grateful to everyone who has supported her in making heartfelt music. |
Megan H. Carver, Harriette Reeves / Choreographer
Carver is elated to return to the Harlequin Stage. Thank you Linda and Scot! Favorite previous credits include The Rocky Horror Show (Columbia, Harlequin), The Wild Party (Nadine, LiveOnstage), Fiddler on the Roof (Hodel,Seattle Musical Theatre Co.), 42nd Street (Gladys, Broadway Rose Theatre) and Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon, On The Spot Productions) just to name a few. She has done various choreography projects around the NW for high schools and colleges. Much love to Momma, Papa and J-bird; Gloria and Skip; Stumptown pals; AJ and Mr. Zero. For Lauren and Sam. Happy Holidays, and to all a good night! Find out more on her webpage. |
| Courtney Freed, Leona Cavallo
Courtney Freed returns to Harlequin where she last appeared as Madame Doriana in Phantom of the Stardust. She currently lives in Chicago where her credits include Ronette in Little Shop of Horrors (Quest Theatre Ensemble) and Roxanne in the staged reading Roxanne of Bergerac (Theatre Building Chicago). Courtney is a native of Portland, Oregon, where she performed some of her favorite roles to date; Ado Annie in Oklahoma! (OTAS Award), Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime, Antonia in Man of La Mancha (Lakewood Theatre Company), Little Sally in Urinetown (Stumptown Stages), Estelle in The Full Monty (Pixiedust Productions) and Jessica in This is Our Youth (Half-Light Productions). She has also performed with The Broadway Rose Theatre Co., Profile Theatre, the Eugene Symphony, American West Steamboat Company and Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon. Courtney has a BA in Theatre from Loyola Marymount University and has studied Musical Theatre at NYU. She would like to thank Scot and Linda for giving her a home at Harlequin and to send love to Steve, Mom, Dad, Mike and Suzanne, “I could never follow my dreams without you!”
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LaVon Hardison, Loretta Mae
LaVon appeared most recently in Harlequin’s production of Intimate Apparel as Esther. She is delighted to participate in the Stardust tradition as Loretta Mae, a role she also played in Operation Stardust and The Twelfth Night of Stardust. She has done numerous corporate and state video and voiceover projects for various clients, and occasionally is recognized as the “Ergonomics Lady”. She has the curious distinction of having replaced Raymond Burr as the judge in the official Washington State jury instructional video. Away from the theater, this Boston native is a singer and songwriter and has self produced three CDs to her credit, the third and most recent is entitled Everyday Gifts. She wants to thank Harlequin for including her in their artistic vision and her husband Scott for his continuing support and love. |
Sammuel Hawkins, Jimmy Ladino (Palladino)
Sammuel is delighted to be making his debut with Harlequin. A San Diegan native, Sammuel has performed and designed regionally with Bare Bodkins Shakespeare Company, Underground Productions, Horsefeathers and Applesauce Dinner Theatre, The Children’s Theatre Company of Sioux Falls, Teatro Milagros, Oregon Children’s Theatre, Northwest Children’s Theatre, The Broadway Rose Theatre Company, The Old Slocum House Theatre Company, Blue Monkey Theatre Company, The New Blue Parrot Theatre Company, The Skamania Performing Arts Foundation, Choral Arts Ensemble, The Vancouver Children’s Opera, Mock’s Crest Theatre Company, The Portland Opera and The Lakewood Theatre Company, where he has found a home for the past 3 years. Sammuel received his Bachelors in Theatre and Music from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, received improv training with Second City and Improv Olympic and puppet and mask training from In the Heart of the Beast in Minneapolis, which he supplemented with an internship at Tears of Joy in Portland. Favorite roles include Trevor Grayden III in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cain in Children of Eden, and Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. Sammuel would like to thank Linda and Bruce for this opportunity, and his mother and father for their undying love, support, and inspiration. |
Russ Holm, Salvatore Mantolini (Sal)
Russ is a Harlequin veteran whose productions include four Stardust shows, all three renditions of A Rock’n’Roll Twelfth Night and both productions of Dracula. Russ played Riff Raff in both productions of The Rocky Horror Show and has also appeared in Cymbeline, Arcadia, She Stoops to Conquer, Cyrano de Bergerac, Murder in the Cathedral, The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, The Misanthrope, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Ladies of the Camellias, Enrico IV and Psychopathia Sexualis. Favorite roles elsewhere include Edmund in King Lear, Charlie in The Foreigner, Kenickie in Grease, Jesus in Godspell, Shylock in Theater Artist Olympia’s production of The Merchant of Venice and JJ Peachum in Capital Playhouse’s The Threepenny Opera. |
Kevin McManus, Eugene (Gino)
Kevin has been performing on and off with Harlequin since his first appearance as Prince Mamelius in A Winter’s Tale when he was eleven years old. He attended Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle) for acting last fall and is now seeking higher education at SPSCC. Other Harlequin credits include Henri in The Game of Love and Chance, Frank Gordon in A Stardust Christmas Carol and Balthazar in Romeo & Juliet. Favorite roles of his include Billy Flynn in Chicago, The Artful Dodger in Oliver!, Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Drew Harvey Theater), Sam in Treasure Island (Pantages Tacoma) and Riff in West Side Story (Capital Playhouse.) He also directed The Ugly Duckling at Drew Harvey and appeared in Robinson Devor’s Sundance festival winner Police Beats. Kevin participated in Patti Kallas' film workshops and Jodi Rothfield's film workshops in Seattle. For Beulah, the heart & soul of any performance. |
Adrian David Robinson, Alonzo (Zonno)
We welcome Adrian back to the Harlequin stage after making his debut last season as Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show. A part of theatre since the age of 8, he has been seen on many stages throughout the Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area. His favorite roles include Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Ponyboy Curtis in The Outsiders, Peter VanDann in The Diary of Anne Frank, Ryan Evans in High School Musical, The Artful Dodger in Oliver! and Daniel Beauxhomme in Once on this Island. Adrian is also an active hip-hop/pop/burlesque choreographer around Pierce County as well as a sprouting digital photographer. He would like to thank his family for their ongoing support, Melissa and Selby for providing him a warm home, Megan Carver for her laughter (there it is), Linda for believing in him and giving him the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing show and last, but not least, to the whole entire cast/crew for making Stardust an experience he will cherish deep in his heart forever. |
Louise Stinson, Ivy Sherman
Louise is extremely excited to be making her first appearance with Harlequin Productions! She holds a B.A. in Music from Portland State University and is a voice student of Christine Meadows and Amy Jo Halliday. Portland area credits include a staged reading of The Showgirl of 52nd Street with Broadway Rose Theatre Company (Young Billie), The Wild Party with Live On Stage! (Dolores), Oklahoma! with Lakewood Theater Company (Laurey), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Anonymous Theater (Philia), Where’s Charley? with Lakewood Theater Company (Kitty Verdun), Tartuffe (Dorine), Suor Angelica (Suor Genovieffa), Die Fledermaus (Ida) and Amahl and the Night Visitors (Shepherdess Dancer), all with PSU Opera Theater. Other credits include Putting it Together with Salem Repertory Theatre (Younger Woman), Seussical the Musical with Gallery Theater (Gertrude McFuzz), Show Boat (Magnolia), The Sound of Music (Liesl) and The Music Man (Ensemble, Marian u/s), all with Leavenworth Summer Theater. Louise is the 2006 winner of the Mu Phi Epsilon Scholarship and has studied tap, ballet, jazz and modern dance. Love and thanks to my wonderful family and friends! |
Bruce Whitney, Nikolai Feyodorov / Piano
Bruce has composed many scores for Harlequin, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, Hamlet, King John, The Misanthrope, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, Cyrano de Bergerac, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Henry V, Cymbeline, Waiting for Godot, Dracula, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and two complete musicals: The Incredible Undersea Trial of Joseph P. Lawnboy and A Rock ‘n’ Roll Twelfth Night. He has also musically directed A Rock ‘n’ Roll Twelfth Night, Tapestry, Dancin’ in the Streets, Dancin’ in the Aisles, Let the Good Times Roll and five Stardust shows. Growing up with classical music and spending years playing rock ‘n’ roll, he is a “musician/composer-for-life” in spite of more sensible degrees from MIT and TESC. |
Keith Anderson, Drums
Keith is an Olympia native and has been playing in various local groups ranging from classical to jazz for the past 30 years. He has BA and MA degrees from Central Washington University and also studied at the Percussion Institute of Technology in Hollywood, CA. Other local organizations he has performed with include the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Olympia Choral Group, Abbey Players and Capital Playhouse. Keith is an active member of the Percussion Arts Society. He has performed in the last six Stardust shows as well as Let the Good Times Roll. |
Dan Blunck, Saxophone
Dan has been playing music for most of his life, first as a student growing up in Oregon and for more than 20 years professionally. He has backed up legendary artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme, Wayne Newton, The Temptations and many others. Dan has been with Harlequin productions for several seasons. He is a graduate of The Evergreen State College and lives in Olympia with his wife Kari and daughter Karissa. |
Vince Brown, Guitar
Vince has been performing and teaching acoustic music on guitar, tenor and 5-string banjo and uke in a variety of styles for over 30 years. He has played at venues and festivals around the world and now lives quite happily in his adopted hometown of Olympia. Recent performance projects include western swing style take-off guitar with Red Brown & the Tune Stranglers; guitar & tenor banjo with the gypsy swing band Hot Club Sandwich; a swing duo project with vocalist LaVon Hardison; mandolin and tenor banjoist with the Old Timey outfit Deaf Lester; guitarist with the modern jazz/lounge group The Greta Jane Quartet; guitar and 5 string banjo with fiddller/ swing violinist Eliza Welch; as well as regular solo performances on guitar and banjo. Vince has also recently been host to “The Swing Set,” a weekly series that has afforded him the opportunity to play with some of the Northwest’s finest musicians including Neil Andersson & Michael White from Pearl Django; swing violin legend Paul Anastasio; Steel guitar masters Dan Tyak & Ben Bonham and the mistress of the ukulele Del Rey! Vince teaches guitar performance and theory in a variety of styles to beginners through advanced students in both a one-on-one setting as well as in the classroom. Children are welcome! |
Rick Jarvela, Bass
Rick has played classical and jazz string bass and blues and rock electric bass in the Puget Sound area since 1978. He has played with the Tacoma Symphony, Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Olympia Chamber Orchestra, Sweatband, Mood Swing, Size 3 and The Hot Five. His Harlequin credits include Let the Good Times Roll, Pump Boys & Dinettes, Pippin, Assassins, A Rock ‘n’ Roll Twelfth Night, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Tapestry, Dancin’ in the Streets, Soul on Fire! and the last nine Stardust shows. Rick is currently coaching the bass section of SOGO as well as performing as a freelance bassist and teaching private lessons. |
Syd Potter, Trumpet / Musical Arrangments
Syd has been arranging, teaching and playing music in the Puget Sound area for the past 20 years. His arrangements have been used by such luminaries as Kelley Johnson, Jan Stentz, and Ernestine Anderson, and for Stardust productions as far back as 1993 (in which he also played trumpet). He is the Director of the Jazz Ensemble at the University of Puget Sound, a member of the Olympia Jazz Initiative, a frequent performer in area swing and jazz bands, the leader of The Swing Society swing dance band and a charter member of Size 3. He also teaches private lessons in brass instruments and jazz improvisation. |
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