Barbara Allen (Assistant Stage Manager/ Backstage coordinator) - A graduate of Arizona State University, Barbara retired as a bank vice president and started devoting her time as a community volunteer with various not-for-profit groups. She started doing backstage work with DFT in 1998 on the play Mousetrap and found that she truly enjoyed the experience. She has been a volunteer ever since on many DFT productions. Ms. Allen is a recipient of DFT’s “Outstanding Contribution by a Volunteer” award.

Kathryn Bailes - After making her local debut in Kiss Me Kate at Tempe Little Theatre last fall, Kathryn is thrilled to join the talented folks at Desert Foothills. Taking part in this production has truly been a dream come true. Much love to Herbie, Moo, and all the babysitters who made it possible.

Portia Beacham (Allison) - is thrilled to make her Desert Foothills Theatre debut. She earned her BA in Theatre at Arizona State University. Her last show was Iphigenia Crash Land Falls on the Neon Shell That Was Once Her Heart , Camila-Galvin Playhouse. Portia appeared in commercials and print for Jolta Java, The Blue Press, Louie IVX Jewelry and is currently the featured face of Southwest Shakespeare Company’s season promotional campaign. She attended Anne Bogart’s “The Suzuki Workshop,” SAG AZ Conservatory with Michael Bofshever “Journey of the Working Actor,” Southwest Shakespeare Conservatory and continues to study acting at MAST. Special thanks to my family and friends for supporting my artistic endeavors and the DFT RC cast, crew and staff for being SO wonderful!

Kellie Carlton (Kate) - is delighted to be making her first stage appearance. A native of Seattle, WA, with a background in music, she moved to Phoenix twelve years ago and has been featured in TV, Commercials, Industrials, Print and Film, for Superstition Springs Golf Club, Estrella Homes, J.C.Penny's, Prima Facia Magazine, and DFD Interior Architecture. Her most recent film was Sam Mendes' Farlander as Allison Janney's stand in-what a thrilling learning experience! Other film/tv credits include Jolene, The Kurt Cobain Story, Hidden Palms and Femme Athletic. Some favorite highlights in her on-going professional training include Master Class Scene Study work with Magda Harout; SAG AZ Conservatory: "Creating Character in Film & Episodic TV" and "The Journey of the Working Actor.” Kellie is a Professional Fitness Trainer and Nutrtionist. She loves her time with boyfriend Eravon, reading, and exercising. Kellie is signed with the S.I.M. Agency. Thank you E.E. and DFT so much for this wonderful experience and for helping to make my dreams come true.

Mary Frances Coleman - After taking 6 years off from theater to raise her two boys, Mary Frances is honored to be a part of such a talented cast for her return to the stage at DFT. Singing the National Anthem at Diamondbacks and coyotes games, and playing keyboards and singing in a band have kept her busy these past few years, but nothing compares to performing on a stage for an audience. She thanks her family as always for their support, especially her husband John and their children Jackson and Alexander for giving up some time with her so she can do what she loves!

Danette D’Anjou (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, February 2008) is delighted to be making her debut with DFT and also returning to musicals since she hasn't done one since high school in Mesa at Westwood. Danette grew up in AZ but ran away to Hollywood for a few years to study at the American Musical Dramatic Academy. She returned to AZ because she missed her family, the Shoemakers. 'I'd like to thank my mom for always singing, my dad for saying I sounded like her, my sister for being her and my Hero.”

Daniel Davisson (Lighting Designer) - has designed many productions around the valley working in dance, theatre and corporate events. Daniel’s lighting designs have gained him numerous awards and accolades, including over a dozen ariZoni nominations and being a 3x American College Theatre Festival student design finalist. Design credits include Bound Shadow Off-Off Broadway 2008 Apprentice Scenes. The Santa Fe Opera Sweeny Todd, Suessical, A Few Good Men, Boy Gets Girl, Kindertransport and The Philanderer. Daniel’s goals are to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to receive his BFA in Lighting Design, and then attend New York University to receive his MFA. His future career goals are to design lights while working on Broadway and for Cirque du Soleil.
 

David Dickinson (Jason)  - is making his Desert Foothills Theater debut.  A software engineer turned actor, David is enjoying his third season as an actor in the Phoenix area.  David has performed with Actors Theatre of Phoenix, Southwest Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Sedona and most recently in Childsplay's production of Miss Nelson is Missing (Principal Humlecker/Detective McSmogg).   Some of David's other recent work include summer productions with Shakespeare Sedona:  The Merry Wives of Windsor (Slender) and The Taming of the Shrew (Hortensio).  With Southwest Shakespeare Company he was last seen in  Pygmalion (Freddy).  However his favorite role came last season in The Busy World is Hushed (Thomas) at Actors Theatre of Phoenix.  When not acting, David freelances as a web developer.  He makes his home in Scottsdale with his wife, Sandra.  For more information about David, visit www.davidjdickinson.com.

Patricia Drapac (Jeanette) - Pat is happy to be making her first appearance on the DFT stage. Having performed numerous roles over the years, Pat is excited to be back on stage where as she says “Theater is life. Film is art. Television is furniture.” Her favorite roles have been Joy Davidman in Shadowlands, and Melissa Gardner in Love Letters. Pat lives in Anthem where she is an avid tennis player, acting as secretary of the Anthem Country Club Tennis Advisory Committee. She enjoys giving back to the community and co-founded “Team W.I.S.H.”, a group that raises money for “Susan G. Komen for the Cure”. She also works on behalf of the New Friends of the Library and contributes time and energy to other community and charitable groups. Whether on stage or off, Pat invites everyone to support community theater.

Mechelle N. Dunlap (Stage Manager) - is thrilled to be one of the new faces at Desert Foothills Theater. She is a recent graduate of Scottsdale Community College with Associates Degrees in both Music Business and Audio Production Technologies. In her time there Mechelle was a member of the Vocal Jazz Program, Phi Theta Kappa, and a Technician of the Performing Arts Center. She also studied Voice under the direction of Paula Baack and piano under the direction of Flora Mogerman. Her previous production work includes stage-managing for Scottsdale Conservatory Theater’s Picnic, Scottsdale Community College’s Metamorphoses and video operator for Scottsdale Conservatory Theater’s Loves Many Faces. She would like to thank her family and friends for all of their constant love and support. Special thanks to her parents; Glenda and Lorne, her Grandma Ann, and to Cat, E.E. and Syd, the Cast and Crew of Romantic Comedy and all of the wonderful people at Desert Foothills Theater.

Daniel Everts (Stage Manager/Set Designer) - is a theatre major at PVCC and plans to receive a BA in technical theatre from Arizona State University. He recently served as ASM for Arizona Jewish Theatre Company’s production of The World Goes ‘Round. Other PVCC credits include Crimes of the Heart SM, The Secret Garden SM, Moon Over Buffalo ASM, the world premier of Alan Tongret’s Child of the Kosmos and Fiddler on the Roof. Daniel is extremely excited to be making his DFT debut with DFT's 2009 production of Last of the Red Hot Lovers.

Benjamin Garcia (Scenic Design/Construction Engineer) - is a graduate of the USC Scenic Design program and spent his internship with the Long Wharf Theatre. He is delighted to be designing for DFT during his time in Arizona.

Ashleigh Hunt (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, February 2008) is very excited to be returning to DFT for the first time since she did Tom Foolery 7 years ago. Since then she has appeared as Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (CDT), Nurse Flinn in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (FHT), Catherine in The Foreigner (SCP), Susan/Barbara in No Sex Please We're British (CDT), Lady Larkin in Once Upon a Mattress (FHT), and earned an ariZoni nomination for her role as Poppy in Noises Off (CDT). When not performing and turning tricks onstage, Ashleigh works at Westcor and will be pursuing her Masters in Counseling this coming May. "Lots of love to my family for all their support. Hope you enjoy the show!"

Roy Hunt (Last of the Red Hot Lovers, spring 2009 and Unnecessary Farce spring 2010) - is excited to be in a show with Desert Foothills theater once again, having appeared in many of their shows over the past 20 years. Most recently, he played Nathan Detroit in Guys ‘n Dolls and George in Moon Over Buffalo. Roy lives with his family in Carefree, where he works as a carpenter (his real job). A veteran of some 50 plays, Roy is the proud recipient of five AriZoni Awards for Best Actor. He also pursues professional film and voice-over work with the Lieghton Agency of Scottsdale. He has appeared in many industrial films, and in numerous local and national commercials. Most recently he was in a series of commercials for PacStar Auto Insurance (which you may have seen). He has also been in 2 or 3 movies (which no one saw). Roy would like to thank his wife, Debbie, for her continuing support of his acting efforts.

Rick Holya (Light Board Op) - is a current ASU student with an associates degree from SCC. He has been a light board operator, spot light op., and has run the fly rail system for Phoenix Theatre's The Producers.
Artistic Collaborators/Designers

Donna Kaufman  (Blanche) -  is ecstatic to be cast as Blanche in Romantic Comedy at Desert Foothills Theater.  Donna has been seen around the Valley as Eleanor in Lion in Winter, Halie in Buried Child, and Julia in Lend Me a Tenor for which she was an ariZoni nominee for best supporting actor. Other Arizona productions include Dearly Departed, Cash on Delivery, Fiddler on the Roof, In My Humble Opinion, as well as several children's shows for Stageworks.  Donna recently performed in the Readers Theatre and Sun Sound productions of Last of the Red Hot Lovers and Over the River and Through the Woods directed by Elayne Stein.  Donna wishes to thank the entire cast, crew, and staff for their incredible team work and support.  Special thanks to E.E. and Syd.  Jeff, Rob, Michael, I could never have pursued my dream and passion without you.  Blanche is dedicated to Carole and Mark!

Micah Krueger (Leo, Assistant Stage Manager) - is proud to enter the professional world as a performing assistant stage manager. He is currently studying theatre education at Scottsdale College and plans to pursue his teaching degree in 2009. His recent credits as an actor include SCC's Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival award winning production of The Philanderer for which he also received an Irene Ryan Acting Nomination and the Scottsdale Conservatory Theatre's experiment: Love's Many Faces. As an assistant stage manager he worked on SCT's most recent show: Picnic. He would like to thank everyone who continues to give their confused support.

Eddie Maldonado - An Arizona native Eddie's most recent credits include, Chino in West Side Story at ASU's LOT, The King in Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella at Valley Youth Theater, Old Deuteronomy in CATS at VYT, the Opening Act for Jordin Sparks' Super Bowl Party with the Voices of VYT, and Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha at Brophy/Xavier Theatre. Eddie is currently a sophomore at Arizona State studying Music Theatre and would like to Thank his family for their endless support, love, and gas money!

Ben Medina (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, February 2008) studied at the Katherine J. Herberger College of Fine Arts at ASU. He has worked professionally in theatres across the nation since 1998, as well as having performed in numerous choirs and vocal ensembles. Aside from performing, he has worked as a Creative Drama and Improvisation teacher for Arizona Broadway Theatre’s Academy for Young Performers, Mesa Youtheatre, Camp Broadway NYC and with the world-renowned Missoula Children’s Theatre. Favorite credits include Grease (Sonny – Arizona Broadway Theatre); A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Protean – ABT); La Cage Aux Folles (Francis/ Zaza U/S - ABT); HMS Pinafore (Boatswain – ABT); Damn Yankees (Ball Player – ABT); Miss Saigon (Thuy U/S - Prather Regional Tour); Disney's Aladdin Jr. (Prince Baba of Ganoush / Guard 2 - Prather Regional Tour); The Unsinkable Molly Brown (Monsignor Ryan - Jackson Hole Playhouse); Paint Your Wagon (Hop Sing – Jackson Hole Playhouse); I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Man 1 - Actors Café at Desert Stages); and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Toynbee - Phoenix Theatre).

E.E. Moe (Director, Romantic Comedy, fall 2008) is a member of the Society of Stage Directors/ Choreographers (SSDC). Her work has garnered awards from L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Drama-Logue, LA Weekly, LA Reader, Robby Awards, NY/LA Theatre Development Awards, Career Achievement and publication honors for more than one-hundred productions. She is a founder actor/director of Arizona Civic Theatre/Arizona Theatre Company, a member of numerous arts councils, Senior Faculty Guest Artist in Directing/Acting at SCC, and Artistic Director/Co-Founder of the time honored MEGAW Theatre/Actors Studio, Inc of CA/AZ.(c1973-current).

Flora Mogerman (Music Director) - is originally from Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of Ithaca College with a Master's Degree from Manhattan School of Music. Since coming to Phoenix, she has played piano and synthesizer for more than 400 musicals and revues. She has played the national touring shows of Evita and Will Roger's Follies. Flora was the original pianist for the smash one year run of Six Women with Brain Death, Nunsense, Nunsense II, and Meshuggah-Nuns. She had the pleasure of being part of Hello, Muddah, Hello Faddah, the original Alan Sherman show that later went to Broadway. She also directed the original Peter J. Hill production of From Berlin to Brooks at the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company. She has been nominated for 8 AriZoni Awards, and has won five. FHCT's The Secret Garden, Stagebrush's Ain't Misbehavin' and The Will Rogers Follies. Flora is returning to DFT after directing A Grand Night for Singing, and won an AriZoni award for Best Musical Director for last season's I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change-which also won Best Musical of the Year. A life member of the American Federation of Musicians, she teaches piano and accompanies at Scottsdale Community College, ASU, and is the accompanist for the Phoenix Boys Choir. Many thanks to Desert Foothills Theatre for allowing me to be part of their seasons!

Morgan Ottersbach (Bobbi MIchele) - is a native of Cave Creek, attended Cactus Shadows High School, and recently graduated from The College of Santa Fe with a B.A. in acting and minor in dance. She has been an avid voice student all her life with emphasis on Italian Opera and Broadway musicals. Morgan has been on several shows for MTV, provided on screen and voice over talent for national commercials, performed with theater productions all over the Valley, and most recently was a featured singer on the cruise ship "The Spirit of Philadelphia". Morgan began performing with Desert Foothills Theater at age 13 and is thrilled to be back for her seventh production with us! Her favorite roles include Lousia from The Fantasticks, Sister Mary Amnesia from Nunsense, and Philia from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Future plans include working as a touring director for Missoula Children's Theater, and maybe an audition or two..

Toby Payne (Sound Design)
Toby Payne is a Phoenix native whose career in theatrical lighting and sound dates back to high school. While involved in West High productions, he was also working at Phoenix Little Theater as well as Sombrero Playhouse. He studied lighting design under John Paul at Phoenix College and toured Europe with the Phoenician’s entertaining our troops. He founded Stage Sound of Arizona in 1963, and toured with numerous top acts such as Andy Williams, Sammy Davis, Jr., Luther Vandross, Bobby Vinton and Johnny Carson. Stage Sound grew into a major staging company along with Audio Visual America, supplying audio visual, sound and lighting rentals, sales, design and installation worldwide to Fortune 500 companies such as CBS, Warner Brothers, PolyGram, Microsoft, Este Lauder, Fed-X, and General Motors. Stage Sound also supplied the sound systems for such events as The Papal Visit at ASU Stadium, World's Fair in New Orleans, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Colorado State Fair and the New Mexico State Fair. Toby retired from this business in 1995. For many years, Toby taught at the International Communications Industries Association "Infocom" Institute for Professional Development and was a member of the ICIA Professional Education Committee. He obtained his CTS (Certified Technical Specialist) certification in 1978 from ICIA. Since moving to Cave Creek, Arizona, in 1992, Toby devotes a great deal of time to working with the community in a variety of ways including mentoring high school students in theatrical lighting and sound, and served four years on the Governing Board of the Cave Creek Unified School District. He has worked for 18 years with the Desert Foothills Theater, Musicfest, the Film Society, high school productions in the Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center, the Cave Creek Christmas Pageant and many other community events and local churches.

Cindy Pruett (Elaine) - is pleased to make her Desert FoothillsTheater debut with this production. A theater performance major in college, Cindy has played starring roles in Crimes of the Heart, as Meg Magrath, and in Beyond Therapy, where she played Prudence. She has also played Sandy in Grease, Mollie Michaelson in Take Her, She’s Mine, Ermengarde in The Matchmaker, and a variety of song/dance roles in the musical, Guys and Dolls. Following college, Cindy embarked on her writing career, publishing three children’s books and earning acclaim as she toured the valley’s school districts with her inspirational and heartfelt messages for children. Cindy is currently working professionally in the commercial television and voiceover industries. Desert Foothills’ Last of the Red Hot Lovers marks Cindy’s nostalgic return to her first real love, the stage. Click here to see Cindy's website.
 

Bret G. Reese (Sound Design) - has been involved in theatre for over twelve years. He is excited to be working with Desert Foothills Theater to bring together a wonderful play.

Michelle O. Serries (Set Design)   has been involved in theater her whole life and has had the opportunity to study her art with some wonderful theater pioneers including Viola Spolin.  She has appeared in feature films including The Out-of-Towners (1970) and American Flyers  (with Kevin Costner) and has performed in productions at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Colorado Renaissance Festival, Victorian Theater in Denver and Canyon Moon Theatres in Sedona.  Locally she has appeared as Sue in Last Summer at Blue Fish Cove (for which she received an ariZoni Award nomination)and Mom in True West both produced by Matlin Studio.   Ms. Serries has directed seven world-premiere plays, one of which, The Last Prostitute, directed by Robert Altman. She has done professional improv in Sedona at Laughs on the Rocks and spent 30 years teaching in San Diego, Denver, the Navajo Reservation and throughout the valley. She studied voice at the New England Conservatory of Music and drama and acting at the Goodman School of Drama/Acting under the direction of Charles McGraw. In addition to her work on stage, Michelle is a scenic designer and loves the technical side of theater.  She has her BA in Theatre Arts from San Diego State University and her MA in counseling psychology from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.  

Mary Sprenger Spence (Melissa) is a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts (B.F.A. Acting), and has also trained at the North Carolina School for the Arts, Cornish College, and the British American Drama Academy. She is a founding member of the Arizona Shakespeare Festival, with favorite roles including Puck, Juliet, Ophelia and Rosliand. This past year, Mary was also fortunate to work with the Arizona Theatre Company’s educational outreach program. Over the summer, Mary continued her pursuit of an M.A. at the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont, where she served as Assistant Director on Middleton and Rowley’s The Changeling under the direction of Alan MacVey. She is very excited to be a part of this production of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters.

Michael Stewart (Andrew) is pleased to be returning to Desert Foothills Theatre after having last been seen a few years ago in Into the Woods. He has also been seen in the Desert Foothills Theatre's productions of Simply Sammy, an original tribute show, and Guys & Dolls, for which he won the Foothills Theatre Best Supporting Actor award for his portrayal of "Benny Southstreet”. Other notable productions in the valley: Fiddler on the Roof for the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company; Jekyll & Hyde, Godspell, and Man of La Mancha for Fountain Hills Community Theatre; Cabaret and Broadway Jukebox for Copperstate Dinner Theatre; and Damn Yankees and Over the River and Through the Woods for Mountain Shadows Theatre. He is a native of Dayton, Ohio, having performed in numerous award-winning productions before packing up for the Wild Wild West back in 2000. He would like to thank his family for their continued support and a special thanks to Sara and Ashleigh for getting him into this great production – “I love you, you’re perfect, and don’t you dare change.”
 
 

Tracy Timm (Phoebe) - is thrilled to be back on the stage working with such a talented cast and crew. During her time away she has starred in such films as Compulsive Contracts, Faded Flowers and Jones. Favorite stage roles include The Actress / Lizzie Borden in Blood Relations, and Joyce Rogers in The Ramshackle Inn. Tracy has performed with The Arizona Women's Theatre Co., Phoenix Theatre, Southwest Shakespeare Co., and Theatre Works. Tracy has been honored with the Helen Bychinsky Student of Promise Fine Arts Award from SCC, three Irene Ryan Nominations and Best Actress of Festival from the American College Theatre Festival Region VIII. Special thanks to Elaine Moe, Sydney Morrison, Pamela Fields, Randy Messersmith, and her agent Aimee Sugar. Love and gratitude first and foremost to God, mom and dad, Pat and Del, her hard working husband Mike and their beautiful blessing Ella Grace. Tracy is represented by S.I.M. Agency.

Shannon Wallace - This is Shannon’s second show in local theatre. Since 1995, Shannon has been working the local jazz circuit performing at concert venues, corporate functions, charity benefits, private parties, nightclubs, restaurants & wine bars. Currently, she performs with Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame inductee Charles Lewis and fronts the 20-piece big band C.C. Jones Orchestra. Shannon has also formed her own jazz band working primarily for private engagements.
 

Dee Dee Wood (Director and Choreographer) - Dee Dee Wood, with her extensive background in Hollywood and New York City for film, stage and television, started as a dancer on Broadway (Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Lil'Abner, Destry). She soon turned to choreography. Her work can be seen in the films Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Beaches with Bette Midler, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Her television extravaganzas include The Statue of Liberty's 100th Birthday - Closing Ceremonies for which she won an Emmy Award; the 1984 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies; and numerous Super Bowl Half-Time shows. Dee Dee received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1998 American Choreography Awards in Los Angeles and was honored at the 2003 Dance Masters of America Awards in Las Vegas. She is on the Board of Judges for the Emmy's. In 2005, Dee Dee was inducted into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. Ms. Wood has directed six shows for Desert Foothills Theater: All Night Strut, Sweet and Hot, Guys and Dolls, Forever Plaid, and A Grand Night for Singing and Hot 'N Cole. Check out this wonderful short video on YouTube about Dee Dee created by the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame.