The Historic Playhouse at White Lake—Whitehall, Michigan—The Summer Theatre Festival 2008 Company

The Summer 2008 Playhouse Players and Staff

View the 2008 Summer Festival Schedule

	Christopher Beaman is a pharmacist by day and an actor by night! When Chris leaves the Pamida Pharmacy in Hart, he travels to Muskegon to appear on stage, primarily with Muskegon Civic Theater. This Whitehall native has been seen in Deathtrap, Duck Variations, Brigadoon, Art, Kiss Me Kate, Annie Get Your Gun, Beauty and the Beast, The Foreigner, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and To Kill a Mocking Bird (just to name a few!). Chris gets wonderful support from his wife Beth and children Jacob, Katie, and Claire.
	Kate Briggs is an Alumna of the White Lake Youth Theater and MCC student of the year winner. She was a back stage dresser for the playhouse production of The Mystery of Irma Vep. Attending GVSU for Theater and Writing and plans to graduate soon (Well hopefully!) Directed Guys for MCC's directing workshop and most recently has been seen as Nora from A Dolls House at GVSU. Kate says "I am really excited to be directing A Jungle Book! A big THANKS for believing I can do it."
	Joe Carmolli holds a BA in Theatre from University of Vermont. In West Michigan, he played Charles Condomine in MCT’s Blithe Spirit. For CPP in Grand Haven, he played Ernst Ludwig in Cabaret and Simon Stimson in Our Town and directed A … My Name is Alice and The Spitfire Grill. Joe is a Chef/Instructor, married to Natalie, and papa to Eileen and Anna.
	Jacquelyn Cody is so excited to be back for a third summer at the Playhouse after her memorable performance in last year’s Lend Me a Tenor. Every year that she comes to beautiful West Michigan, she is more and more tempted to stay forever! Thanks to Kevin and Tom for allowing her to reprise a favorite role as Catherine in The Foreigner, the show her little brother said is "the funniest thing he's ever seen".
	Peter Drost is happy to be back with the Howmet Playhouse this year. He played “da buck-less yooper” in Escanaba in da Moonlight last year, he holds a B.A. in theatre from the University of Michigan, and is a member of the board of Grand Haven’s Central Park Players. He has performed with many West Michigan theatre organizations and has designed lights for many area productions. This year he is also the playhouse technical director.
	Nic Dressel's favorite roles include Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and Mac in Annie Get Your Gun for Muskegon Civic Theatre; Cookie in Return to the Forbidden Planet, Prospero in A Taste of Tempest, Jacob Marley in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, for Muskegon Community College; Jess in Complete Works for AP Theatricals and Jesse in the Central Park Players Production of Plaza Suite. Nic does improv, filmmaking, writes, is a contributing writer for Spunkybean.com and produces Archer & Jenkins: PI, an Internet sitcom on YouTube.
	Cara Guzman teaches with the Spring Lake school system. She has been the heart and soul of the Playhouse summer operation for thirten years. As Assistant Manager she runs the box office, is active backstage with costumes, props, and whatever is necessary. Cara is a graduate of West Shore Community College and Central Michigan University, and has done graduate work at Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University. She has an MA from the University of Phoenix.
	Tom Harryman directed past playhouse productions of The Moon is Blue, Sylvia, and The Mystery of Irma Vep, and performed in last year’s Escanaba in da Moonlight. He also serves as the playhouse manager. For many years with the Frauenthal Center, Tom currently teaches, acts, designs and directs at Muskegon Community College. He holds a B.Ph. in theatre and an M.A. in Acting, and has been a member of Actor’s Equity for thirty years. He was most recently seen on the playhouse stage in his own adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
	Kellene Hilliard loves performing and loves musicals! She has performed with Muskegon Civic Theater in Brigadoon as Fiona and The Last Night of Ballyhoo as Sunny Fritag. Kellene has also performed with Central Park Players in Cabaret and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. She will be leaving MCC this fall to transfer to Central Michigan University and majoring in music theatre and journalism.
	Terry Ireland has been doing community theater in the area since 1981 and appeared as Albert in last year’s playhouse production of Escanaba in da Moonlight. Many people may remember him in such famous roles as sword carrier #1 in Kismet or the bailiff in Here’s Love at MCC. He’s done about 30 plays over the last 25 years! Terry is single and lives in Muskegon with his dog Lillie, his cat Johnson, and his daughter Sara’s cat Tucker. He is a mobile loan closer for Nation’s Title.
	Judy Johnson is well known in Western Michigan theatre serving as Director/Choreographer for such hits as Beauty and the Beast, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Seussical, and Jesus Christ Superstar. She served as choreographer for Cherry County Playhouse, The Miss Michigan Pageant, and Civic Opera Association. As a performer, Judy has appeared in many roles including Roxie in Chicago, Clelia in The Nerd, Dorothy Tree Hapgood in Inspecting Carol, and as the Teacher in the one woman show Chicks. She is also designing sets as part of the J3DS Team. Judy and late husband Jim have three sons, six grandchildren and one great grandson. The former Managing and Education Director for Muskegon Civic Theatre, Judy is currently the Director for the Nancy K. Poppen Fine Arts Program and the Sherman R. Poppen Scholarship Program.
	Andrea Matthews can’t wait for her second performance on the Howmet Playhouse stage and she’s sure to be seen here for many more. She has performed with Muskegon Civic Theatre, Muskegon Community College and the Dogwood Players, among many others. This talented vocalist was featured in Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s Annie Get Your Gun and last seen in the Dogwood’s Little Shop of Horrors.
	Jeremy Meier is excited to return to Whitehall performing in his eighth summer at the Howmet Playhouse. A new resident of Toledo, Ohio, Jeremy will begin teaching Theatre at Owens State Community College this fall. Past shows include Escanaba in da Moonlight, Sylvia, and The Mystery of Irma Vep. He sends his love and thanks to his soon-to-be wife, Adrian.
	Jeremy Motz (rhymes with boats) last set foot on the Howmet stage with Central Michigan University Summer Theatre in 2003 & 04 appearing in The Dining Room, The Balcony Scene, Private Lives, and Blithe Spirit. He holds a BFA in Acting & Directing from CMU and has taken a slightly-more-than-serious interest in playwriting. He now lives in Minneapolis where he works at Half Price Books. He's grateful for any excuse to come home to Michigan and see everyone again; it's been too long.
	Brett Newsted is new to the playhouse stage but not to performing. He has appeared in productions at Spring Lake High School and Central Park Players. Brett played Don Lockwood in Singin in the Rain, Pharoah in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, Prince James in Cinderella, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, and Eugene Jerome in Brighton Beach Memoirs. He will be attending DePaul University to study acting for the stage and film.
	Lorrell Pepple is a 2005 graduate of Shelby High School, where she was a Chorus member in Brigadoon and Irene in Footloose. Last spring, Lorrell performed in Brigadoon again, but this time for Muskegon Civic Theatre. As an MCC student, Lorrell has starred in Our Town (Julia Gibbs), Lysistrata (Lampito), Season's Greetings (Mrs. Dunbar), and How I Learned to Drive (Female Greek Chorus). Lorrell lists her major as Technical Theatre and plans a possible transfer to Central Michigan University or Grand Valley State University, where she will continue theatre work.
	William S. Rafaill has been the webmaster for the Howmet Playhouse since the spring of 2007. He and his wife, Barbara, have a cottage in Stony Lake and have been enjoying the western shore of Michigan and all that it offers, including the Playhouse, since the mid 1980s. Bill is CEO, CFO, COO, and all those other "O's" for his own company, Rafaill & Associates, LLC. He specializes in website development, graphic design, and technology training. He is pleased to do all that he can to promote the Grand Old Lady, the Howmet Playhouse.
	Kirk M. Wahamaki is appearing for the first time on the playhouse stage but not his first appearance in The Fantasticks. This is the third time and he is happy to recreate the role of Henry. Some of his favorite roles include the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, Pedro in Man of La Mancha, Alan in Equus, Ellard in The Foreigner, Alfred in My Three Angels, and the Clown in The Curate Shakespeare As You Like It. Currently Kirk is the Artistic Director for Muskegon Civic Theater. He loves cooking, sailing, traveling, and of course his wife Sheila.
	Sheila Kulp Wahamaki In the third grade the ‘theater bug’ bit Sheila when she played the lead role in the Princess that Couldn’t Laugh, and she didn’t! She has performed in over 80 plays and musicals and is currently Director of the Center for Theater at Muskegon Community College. She holds a BFA degree in Theater from West Virginia University and an MA degree in Theater & Communications from Indiana State University. She has over 25 years of experience as a director, choreographer, designer, and college instructor. She lives in Muskegon with husband Kirk and children Chris & Katie.
	Kevin R. Wurz has a BA from the University of Missouri and an MA from the University of Wisconsin. Kevin is currently Theatre Director at Lake Michigan College and has formerly been Theatre Director at West Shore Community College and Kirtland Community College here in Michigan. He has been Managing Director of the Duluth Playhouse and the Duluth Ballet in Minnesota. He has taught high school in Racine, Wisconsin, and Aurora, Illinois. Kevin has over 50 acting roles to his credit. All in all, he has been involved in over 300 productions: academic; professional; and community as producer, director, actor and technician.
	Andrew Zahrt is excited to be back at the Howmet Playhouse for his second season. This past year, Andrew stage managed How I Learned to Drive, starred in Lysistrata as the Magistrate, and performed the one-man show, The Santaland Diaries as Crumpet the Elf, all of which took place at Muskegon Community College. Besides “dying” in The Fantasticks this year, he will stage manage most of the season shows. Andrew would like to thank all the patrons attending shows at the playhouse this summer for their support!
	Brandon Zale is glad to be returning to Whitehall for a third summer. His numerous Playhouse credits include last year’s Sylvia, Lend Me a Tenor, and Escanaba in Da Moonlight. In his native Chicago, credits include A City Lit Christmas, Ragtime, The Secret Garden, The Christmas Schooner, and Assassins. He’s completed two national tours with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, teaches music to grades K-8, and is a freelance visual artist as well. Brandon holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University and also teaches general music to grades K-8.

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