Woody Guthrie's American Song Cast & Crew
Evan Thomas Beamer (First Young Man)
is making his second stage appearance with the Vermont Stage Company. During most waking hours he works with his older brother, Adam, directing commercials and other video productions for Mt. Mansfield Media, or making independent movies under the name El Matador Films (.com). He would like to thank Mark for all of the opportunities he continues to create, Adam for being a very good brother, and Courtney for loving him regardless of his schedule.
Tyler Bolles (Bass Player)
has been active in the local music scene for more than 10 years. He can be seen playing with groups ranging from old-time pickers, the Cleary Brothers Band to swamp-rockers, Monoprix. In addition to these groups, his current projects include the eastern european/klezmer ensemble, Inner Fire District and he is the music director for the Spiel Palast Cabaret. His past projects have included the Middle Eight, and the Ryan Power band, and he is a regular guest performer on locally produced albums.
Patti Casey (First Young Woman & Musical Director)
Native Vermonter Patti Casey has been called "...the voice of Vermont contemporary music" by the Times Argus. With a voice that's strong and sweet, a catalog of timeless songs, and a history of penning classics that have found their way into the folk music world across the United States, Patti has become the vocal backbone for many of our region's finest musical productions. Her list of awards includes Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriting Contest winner, Chris Austin Song Writing Contest winner, South Florida Folk Festival Songwriting Competition finalist, A Prairie Home Companion "Talent From Towns Under 2000" winner, and Telluride Songwriting Competition Finalist. Patti has written and directed music for Burlington's Vermont Stage Company, and has produced 5 independent recordings of her music, 3 of which landed in the Seven Days Top Ten Recordings of the Year. Her 2010 release "The Heart of a Waiting Boy" was named Top Country Album of 2010 by the Times Argus/Rutland Herald and was the fourth most-played album in the worldwide folk circuit for the month of February 2011 (FolkDJ Radio). She provided soundtrack music for Pasture Productions' award-winning independent film "The Summer of Walter Hacks," and for the independent documentary film "Brush and Pen: Artists and Writers of the White Mountains." She tours nationally with Vermont's venerable folk band The Woods Tea Co., and lives in central Vermont. http://www.patticasey.com/
Joseph Campanella Cleary (Fiddle & Mandolin Player)
was born and raised in Chesterfield, Virginia. He began playing violin at age 7 and fiddle styles soon thereafter. He attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and received a BA in Anthropology in 1996. After college he completed an traditional apprenticeship with a mandolin maker in Idaho. Joe eventually moved to VT to play in the Cleary Bros Band with brother John, and subsequently worked for a violinmaker in Burlington for 5 years. He currently makes violins and mandolins at his own shop, and recently received a grant from the Vermont Arts Council to support his violin-influenced mandolin design. He has appeared on many VT recordings as well as St. Michael's Playhouse musicals Big River and Always, Patsy Cline. http://www.campanellastrings.com/
Brett Hughes (Second Young Man)
has been performing primarily as a musician for 25 years. Brett has recently appeared in two Seth Jarvis directed plays, The Breakfast Club (Mr. Vernon) and The Once And Future Ubu (Rebel #1). He also recently wrote, performed and recorded the soundtrack for the play The Bus (written by Jim Lantz and directed by Seth Jarvis). He has also written many scores for youth theater adaptations of classic plays, including King Lear (the Western), The Tempest (Under The Big Top), The Winter's Tale, Great Expectations, Tale of Two Cities, Frankenstein (The Musical), and Cyrano De Bergerac. He can be seen playing with Chrome Cowboys, Monoprix, Wrecking Ball, Lila Webb, as well as hosting Honky Tonk Tuesday every week at the Radion Bean. Brett lives in Burlington, Vermont and adores his son, Hank.
Ellen McQueeney (Second Young Woman)
performed with VSC in Quilters, Winter Tales 2005 and Woody Guthrie's American Song. Other regional credits include Maria in The Sound of Music at the Flat Rock Playhouse (NC), June in Smoke on the Mountain at the Foothills Theatre (MA), and Lilly in Swingtime Canteen at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre (CT). New York credits include Audrey in As You Like It at the Blue Heron, and Amy in Amy Fisher: The Musical, at the Wings Theatre. Recently, Ellen was seen and heard as "Elaine Krup" during the University Mall's holiday TV and radio ad campaign. She also teaches preschool music and entertains in the Burlington area with her business, "Ellie's Preschool Parties". Much love to Wayne, Ruby & Nora June.
Chuck Meese (Man)
is the artistic director of the Red Wing Puppet Theater, the technical director of The Governors Institute On The Arts and the managing director of Vermont Stage Young Playwrights. This year marks Chuck's 30th year as a professional puppeteer. Chuck started playing ukulele when he was 5 and guitar when he was 10. He currently plays with Plainfield musician Dennis Murphy and Calais poet Geof Hewitt in the Still Friends Band.
Jan Monteagudo-Meese (Boy)
started playing the spoons when he was 3, ukulele when he was 4, mandolin at 6, guitar at 8, drums at 9 and harmonica this past year. Jan is 11 years old. He has been a fixture at the Northeast Music Festival for the past 3 years, has opened for Grace Potter and The Nocturnals and plays at Young Traditions concerts. At this years First Night celebration he played with The Unknown Blues Band and the Re-Bop Kids at the Flynn Theater. He has performed as a puppeteer and musician in over 80 performances with The Red Wing Puppet Theater.
Mark Nash (Director)
is proud to have served for 11 years as artistic director of Vermont Stage Company. He is currently catching up on his rest.
Jenny C. Fulton (Scenic & Costume Designer)
Jenny designs space, objects and clothes for stage and film. She has designed regularly for Vermont Stage since 2001, most recently Oliver Twist and The Glass Menagerie. In NYC she's designed for Salt Theatre, Anne Kaufman and Clubbed Thumb, The Women's Project, as well as the NY premier of Kathryn Blume's The Boycott. Regionally, American Repertory Theatre, Yale Rep, Philadelphia Shakespeare, Virginia Shakespeare, North Shore Music Theatre, Northern Stage, Lost Nation, St. Mike's Playhouse, and others. Film design credits include indie films and PBS Channel 13's The American Novel. She is also an educator and has held guest artist appointments at Hunter College, Mt. Holyoke, Bates College and is presently adjunct faculty at Keene State. She holds degrees from Brandeis and Yale Drama, is a member of USA Local 829, and divides her time between drafty Vermont farmhouse and small Brooklyn apartment. Love and thanks to Prof. Henry Fulton for the ties.
John B. Forbes (Lighting Designer)
has previously designed the lighting for Photograph 51, Oliver Twist, The Glass Menagerie, Opus, My Ohio, King Lear, Inspecting Carol, Woody Guthrie's American Song, True West, Copenhagen, The Foreigner and The Drawer Boy at Vermont Stage Company. In addition he has designed the lighting for productions at the Old Globe Theatre, the San Diego Repertory Theatre, the Center Repertory Company, and the Ensemble Theatre Company, all in California. He has also designed lighting for Theatre Aspen in Colorado; the Riverside Shakespeare Company and Theatre Matrix in New York; the Arizona Theatre Company, and Saint Michael's Playhouse, the Big APE Dance Company and Lost Nation Theatre in Vermont. He is the winner of three L. A. Dramalogue awards for his designs at the Old Globe Theatre and three Shelley Awards for his designs with the Center Repertory Company. He is the faculty lighting designer at the University of Vermont in the Department of Theatre, and his lighting design for UVM's production of Metamorphoses was displayed in the Gallery Exhibit at the World Stage Design Exhibition in Toronto. He has also taught at San Diego State University and the University of San Diego, and while at U.S.D., he also managed Shiley Theatre. In that capacity he served as the technical liaison between the University and the Presidential Debate Commission for the final Presidential Debate of 1996 held there.
Aaron Hurwitz (Stage Manager)
is excited to be working on his first show for Vermont Stage. A recent Burlington transplant, he spent last year in Philadelphia as Flashpoint Theatre Company's Production Stage Manager while also working for Temple University's School of Communications & Theatre. Aaron received his B.A. from Simon's Rock College. Previously he's had the pleasure of working for such companies as Actors Theatre of Louisville, Shakespeare & Company, Dorset Theatre Festival, Delaware Theatre Company, Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival, Barrington Stage Company, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Bunny Gumbo Productions.