FAC Theatre Company 2008–2009 Season

Pictured: (right to left) Marco Robinson as Eugene Morris Jerome, Mark Rubald as Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey, and the Company of “Biloxi Blues”

“Biloxi Blues was a solidly enjoyable challenge from start to finish. Great to work with Alan Osburn whom I had worked with at the Denver Center. And the first time for me to work with Carmen Shedd and Marco Robinson, super talented high school actors at the time.  A brilliant script, the challenge was to play a stern, harsh, military disciplinarian who cleverly instills a sense of self and confidence in Arnold and Jerome, two intellectuals stuck in the army. Hilarious and beautifully human.  One of Simon’s best.” – Mark Rubald, Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey

Pictured: Nick Madson as Jerry Lukowski, and the Company of The Full Monty

“This show was a fun time. I remember being surrounded by a great team and hilarious actors. One of my fondest memories was being asked to find someone to play the professional male stripper. I convinced a student/friend of mine to take the role and I choreographed an “authentic” male strip tease. At the first reveal of the dance at rehearsal, eyes bugged and jaws were left on the floor. Folks never stopped thanking me for finding him!” – Mary Ripper Baker, Choreographer

Pictured: (foreground, left to right) Brian McClure as Max and Thaddeus Valdez as Tito Morelli, and the Company of Lend Me A Tenor

“As with Moon Over Buffalo, Ken Ludwig’s brilliant writing provided the scaffold for the perfect comedy. But the devil is in the details: it took a comedic-expert director like Cory Moosman to put the pieces of a surprisingly complicated production together, and Alan Osburn’s deft artistic direction to make sure the pieces cranked like a well-oiled machine. It’s a show about doors. Slamming doors, opening doors, many, many doors. The timing of the doors opening and closing, with characters careening in and out of them, had to be a tightly choreographed and tirelessly rehearsed. The whole play is a fugue: a contrapuntal composition of two or more voices — and in this case, bodies — hurling through space on top of, around, and in harmony with, one another, usually set to music. Playing the mercurial Italian Maria, wife to bel’ amore mio, Thaddeus Valdez was, naturally, one of my favorite-ever theatrical experiences.” – Amy Brooks, Maria

Pictured: Michael E. Gold as Harold Hill, and the ensemble of The Music Man

“The Music Man was my first foray into professional theatre, and I feel so lucky to have worked on this classic piece while learning from masters of the craft. Directed by Cory Moosman and choreographed by Mary Ripper Baker, the production featured a stellar cast spanning generation and packed with talent. From performing soft-shoe choreography in ‘Marian the Librarian’ beside the inspiring Michael E. Gold as Harold Hill, to dancing ‘The Shipoopi” sang by the legendary Jimmy Ferrarro, and reveling in the vocal talents of the real barbershop quartet or the iconic Sally Hybl as Marian; this musical darling proved to me that musical theatre is a part of a larger American cultural experience that unites generations of audiences and performers alike.” – Ryan Miller, Ensemble

Pictured: Carmen Shedd as Titania, Queen of the Fairies, Patrick Yukman as Oberon, King of the Fairies, and the Company of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

“This 2009 Youth Rep production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was directed by Jodi Papproth and brilliantly costumed by Sarah Shaver. The show was performed in repertory with Cats, which allowed us a great exposure to classical Shakespeare and musical theatre, as well as extensive work in makeup and design. From what I recall, the theme was a steampunk and mid 70’s, hence Titania (my role) and Oberon were designed a la Sid and Nancy Vicious. The scene pictured takes place when the fairy king and queen are battling for custody of the changeling child (played by Sarah’s real baby Liam!) This was my final summer as a youth rep student, and provided some amazing education that I have continued to use and teach throughout my career.” – Carmen Shedd, Titania, Queen of the Fairies

Pictured: The entire company of Cats

“I still am in awe that I was cast in, and performed in, Cats. When Susan Dawn announced who’d been cast several months prior, I decided on the spot that instead of being confused over why I’d been cast, given my minimal dance skills, I’d instead work towards acquiring the dance skills to warrant my involvement. Turns out it takes more than a few months to specialize, but that show did start me on a lifelong journey building strength, proprioception, and confidence through dance and yoga (which we did each day to start out rehearsal). My memories of the show are colored by my own battles with teenage insecurity, but I remember the absolute commitment of the cast. We were doing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in repertoire, so we’d mostly forgotten what daylight looked like. Our hearts were entirely in the show: learning the cat physicality, exploring the nooks and crannies of the set, and practicing the makeup until it actually looked good. I had never been prouder of a production or more inspired by my fellow actors. It was truly magical, unlike the giant, amorphous Swedish fish (a conglomerate of many bags of regular ones) that sat on the green room table for at least half the summer.” – Becki Yukman, Etcetera