Waitress

MALINDA (Jenna) is thrilled to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER after winning a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical for her portrayal of Girl in Once. REGIONAL: Adventure Theater: Ella Enchanted (Ella), Constellation Theater: The Skin of Our Teeth (Gladys Antrobus) Folger Theater: Second Shepherds Play, Powerhouse Theater: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia), The Kennedy Center: Me...Jane (Jane, reading). INTERNATIONAL: At Home in the World (Soloist). YOUTUBE: Google Translate Sings, MALINDA. EDUCATION: BA in Drama from Vassar College. Instagram: @missmalindakat.  www.malindamusic.com

Iella Barr-O'Connor (Lulu) is delighted to make her debut at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous credits: The British Players: The Little Mermaid (Duchess of Joysville). Iella, a first grader in MCPS, is a character on and off the stage and has varied interests: performing, arts, engineering projects and rock-climbing to name a few. She is nervously excited for this opportunity and wants to thank her family for all their support!

Jessica Bennett (Nurse Norma/Ensemble/Dance Captain) is very excited to perform on the Olney stage again! Her previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits include: Frozen, Beauty and the Beast (2021, 2022) Cabaret, Elf, and South Pacific. OFF BROADWAY: The Actor’s Temple: Honestly Abe. NATIONAL TOUR: We The People. REGIONAL: Fulton Theatre: Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Millbrook Playhouse: Hairspray, New Hazlett Theatre: Ragtime. DC AREA: Kennedy Center: Shear Madness, Me...Jane, Ford’s Theatre: Shout Sister Shout, A Christmas Carol, Signature Theatre: After Midnight, Blackbeard, Baltimore Center Stage: Lookingglass Alice, Keegan Theatre: Chicago [2019 Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical], Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Christmas Story, Artscentric: Chicago, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Stillpointe Theatre: The Last Five Years, Iron Crow Theatre: The Wild Party, F***ing A. EDUCATION: Ithaca College, BFA Musical Theatre.

Allison Blackwell (Becky) is thrilled to be making her debut at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER in Waitress. BROADWAY: New York, New York, Pretty Woman: The Musical, A Night With Janis Joplin, Disney’s The Lion King and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. DC AREA: The Kennedy Center: Bernstein’s Mass, Guys and Dolls *Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Visiting Production, Bye Bye Birdie, Nine; The Studio Theatre: Caroline, or Change (Moon/Washing Machine) *Helen Hayes Award Outstanding Resident Musical. REGIONAL: Barrington Stage Company: Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Armelia) *New York Times Critics Pick; Ogunquit Playhouse: The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess); Dallas Theatre Center: Les Miserables (Fantine); Theatreworks (Silicon Valley) Caroline, or Change (Washing Machine/ Dottie) *San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress); Marriott Theatre (Chicago): Woman #1 And the World Goes ‘Round. As a guest soloist, she has performed with such orchestras as The New York Pops, The Boston Pops, The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Philly Pops, The Houston Symphony and The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. EDUCATION: BA in English/Drama from Spelman College and M.M in Music from Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Thank you to my team at DGRW and to our captain, Marcia Milgrom Dodge. For Mom. www.allisonblackwell.com

Lou Chubin (Lulu) is making her debut onstage at Olney Theatre Center! Lou is in kindergarten and enjoys taking dance, where she is currently studying acro, ballet, tap & jazz! Lou also enjoys playing sports, especially soccer, and she just started her basketball season on her team, the "Hedgehogs." She joined MVAA Cheer for the first time this past fall & loved it! Lou sends her love to her 4 siblings: Shay, Jack, Quill & Isla. Love & Thanks to her parents, who drive her to and fro from all of her activities and proudly watch them all! Hi Mom-Mom, Pop Pop, Mimi, and Pa-Pop! Enjoy the show!

Wynter Nicole Cook (Ensemble) is excited to join her first cast at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Hailing from Detroit, MI she specializes in acting, singing and movement. Shakespeare Theatre Company: Staged Reading of Brown Girl, Brown Stones (Narrator). Woolly Mammoth: The Sensational Sea Mink-etts (U/S Keira/Aleyse Perf). The Kennedy Center: Developmental workshop of Operation Sisterhood (Lee). Howard University: Black Nativity (Soloist/Ensemble). Wolf Trap & Signature Theatre: Broadway in the Park (Ensemble Vocalist). FILM: One-Shot, Secret Admirer. EDUCATION: BFA in Musical Theatre from Howard University. Instagram: @wynter.nicolecook Website: wynternicolecook.com

Jay Frisby (Ensemble) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: Frozen, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man, Matilda, The Royale, Miss You Like Hell, South Pacific, Annie, Mary Poppins. TOURS: South Pacific; Hong Kong Disneyland: Festival of the Lion King (Simba); Click Clack Moo; The Whiffenpoofs of Yale. REGIONAL: Connecticut Repertory Theatre: Smokey Joe’s Café; Ogunquit Playhouse: South Pacific; DC AREA: Ford’s Theatre: Little Shop of Horrors, Shout Sister Shout!, Grace; Imagination Stage: Cinderella, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Signature Theatre: The Color Purple, The Scottsboro Boys; Labor Heritage Foundation: Working; Rep Stage: Dorian’s Closet; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: The Buddy Holly Story, Miss Saigon. EDUCATION: BA in Theatre Studies Yale University.

Sam C. Jones (Ogie) is making his OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut! REGIONAL THEATRE: Many, many productions of Million Dollar Quartet and Million Dollar Quartet Christmas (Johnny, Carl, & Elvis) including Ogunquit Playhouse, Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre, Axelrod Performing Arts Center, Bucks County Playhouse, the Hippodrome Theatre and San Luis Obispo Rep. The Sacramento Theatre Company: Pump Boys & Dinettes (Jim), Disaster (Chad) Man of La Mancha (Pedro/the Guitarist) The Tempest (Ferdinand) A Christmas Carol (Topper), The Donner Party (Charlie) [World Premiere]. Totem Pole Playhouse: Pump Boys & Dinettes (Jackson), Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis: The Legend of Georgia McBride (Casey). Opera House Arts: Much Ado About Nothing (Borachio). CRUISE SHIPS: Norwegian Getaway: Million Dollar Quartet (Swing), Broadway Unplugged (Ensemble). EDUCATION: BA Musical Theatre & Dance from Christopher Newport University. IG and Facebook @thesamcjones www.thesamcjones.com

Nikki Kim (Ensemble) is ecstatic to be making her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut! Previous credits include the movie CODA, BULL (CBS), Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (The Alpha NYC), and Priest in Red in Turandot (The Atlanta Opera). Huge thanks to the entire team at Olney Theatre Center, both of her agents: Barbara Coleman and Barbara Garvey (Innovative Artists/ECT), her parents (hi, Dad!), friends who traveled to come see her, and all of you joining us at the Diner tonight! Thank you for supporting regional theatre and making works like this possible. www.nikki-kim.com @nikki.kim.2123

Casey Martin Klein (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making his OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut! A Rockville native based in NYC, Casey is so excited to return to the area for Waitress! Casey has performed around the world as a cast member in Royal Caribbean’s Grease and on Holland America Line with vocal group Major Fourth. Casey originated the role of “Charlie Brown” on the National Tour of A Charlie Brown Christmas, and made his Off-Broadway debut in The Book of Merman, an Ethel Merman parody musical! Most recently he rocked it out as Carl Perkins in Million Dollar Quartet (Greenbrier Valley Theatre), and had a hilarious time as Brick in Jimmy Buffet’s Escape to Margaritaville (Forestburgh Playhouse, Gateway Playhouse)! In addition to his work on stage, he is a director, photographer, videographer, musician, songwriter, and proud husband! All the glory to God! Thank you to his wonderful family and friends, wife Jocelyn and the OTC team! Go JMU Dukes! Follow along on Instagram: @caseymartinklein

James B. Mernin (Swing) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER:  Fiddler on the Roof, A.D.16, Cabaret, Elf. REGIONAL: White Plains Performing Arts Center: West Side Story (Tony). DC AREA: Round House Theatre: Spring Awakening (Ernst); Workhouse Arts Center: Hunchback of Notre Dame (Quasimodo); The Keegan Theatre: Seussical [2024 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical]; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Grease, Gypsy; NextStop Theatre Company:  Footloose (upcoming), Lucky Stiff. EDUCATION: American University BA Musical Theatre. Love to Walker. Website: www.jamesbmernin.com Instagram: @jamesbmernin & @jbm.shoots

Ashley D. Nguyen (Dawn) DC AREA: OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: Dance Nation (Zuzu); Signature Theatre: King of the Yees (Lauren Yee), Soft Power (Jing/Ensemble), Pacific Overtures (Swing); Arena Stage: Ride the Cyclone (Swing); Ford’s Theatre: A Christmas Carol (Understudy); Theater J: The Hatmaker’s Wife (Voice); The Kennedy Center TYA: The Day You Begin (Min), The Dragon King’s Daughter (Xing u/s); Imagination Stage: Winnie the Pooh (Piglet); Keegan Theatre: Shakespeare in Love (Viola de Lesseps, Helen Hayes Nomination); Creative Cauldron: Into the Woods (Little Red); Studio Theatre: White Pearl (Ruki Minami u/s – US World Premier); Catholic University: A Little Night Music (Fredrika Armfeldt), The Wolves (#8), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Marcy Park). EDUCATION: BM in Musical Theatre from Catholic University. Instagram: @ashley.d.nguyen Website: ashleydnguyen.com

Stellamaris Orellana (Swing) is happy to return to the OLNEY THEATRE CENTER stage. Previous Olney theatre credits include: Frozen (swing). DC AREA: NextStop Theatre company: In the Heights (Carla) [Helen Hayes nomination for Outstanding Ensemble Musical]; Overtures at Signature Theatre 2023; Catholic University: The Sound of Music (Ensemble). EDUCATION: The Catholic University of America: Bachelor of Music 25’. Instagram: @stellaa.orellanaa

Russell Rinker (Ensemble) Russell is thrilled to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER! Previous Olney credits—Concert Series productions of Pippin (Charlemagne), Fiddler on the Roof, and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Russell was a Blue Man in the world-famous Blue Man Group for several years including Off-Broadway, Las Vegas (5 yrs), and two North American Tours. NATIONAL TOUR—Amazing Grace. REGIONAL—Chicago Shakespeare Theatre (Tybalt), Goodspeed Opera House, Los Angeles Opera. DC AREA—Toby’s: South Pacific (Emile), Show Boat! (Ravenal), 1st Stage: A Civil War Christmas (Lincoln), NextStop Theatre: Catch Me If You Can (Hanratty), Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre—The Music Man (Harold Hill), Pirates of Penzance (Pirate King), Riverside CPA—A Christmas Story (The Old Man). TV—Arrested Development, Shake It Up! (feat. Zendaya), The Tonight Show. Russell is a musician, voiceover artist, and fight choreographer, and a graduate of The College of William and Mary. He dedicates this show to his mom, the best pie maker. INSTAGRAM: @russellrinker

Bobby Smith (Joe) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, On the Town, Elf, Little Shop of Horrors; Annie; Sound of Music. He directed; Grease, Forever Plaid, and Cinderella, and choreographed Avenue Q. BROADWAY: Crazy for You. OFF-BROADWAY: Forever Plaid, The World Goes ‘Round, Of Thee I Sing. NATIONAL TOURS: Brigadoon, The World Goes ‘Round. SIGNATURE: Thirty shows including: A Little Night Music, Titanic, Simply Sondheim, Company, Midwestern Gothic, Road Show, The Threepenny Opera, Disney’s Freaky Friday, La Cage aux Folles (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor), and Spin (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor); STUDIO THEATRE: A Class Act; The Long Christmas Ride Home; Reefer Madness; Jerry Springer: The Opera; FORD’S THEATRE: Elmer Gantry, Liberty Smith, 1776, A Christmas Carol, Violet; METROSTAGE: Girl in the Goldfish Bowl, Musical of Musicals, Jacques Brel (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor); ROUND HOUSE THEATRE: A Year With Frog and Toad; KENNEDY CENTER: The Happy Prince, Peter and the Wolf with the National Symphony Orchestra. Recordings: Ben Bagley’s Rogers and Hart Revisited and Disney’s Freaky Friday.

David Socolar (Dr. Pomatter) is excited to be making his OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut! OFF-BROADWAY: Kinky Boots. NATIONAL TOUR: Company; Waitress. REGIONAL: SCA: Kinky Boots (Charlie); Capitol Rep: The Full Monty (Malcolm); The REV: Anne Of Green Gables: A new Folk Rock Musical (Fred). DC AREA: The Kennedy Center: Company; World Stage Theater: Amazing Grace. FILM: Beyond The Lake [Oil Valley Film Festival Award for Best Actor]. Headliner with Shades Of Bublé. Many thanks to the incomparable Sarah Haber, and the team at Creative Talent Company, and to Mom and Dad for keeping me going. Socials: @davidsocolar

Nadja Tomaszewski (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut. Previous theatre credits include: DC AREA: NextStop Theatre Company: Ride the Cyclone (Ocean) [Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Outstanding Production Musical]; Monumental Theatre Company: Spring Awakening (Thea, Ilse u/s & Adult Female u/s) [Helen Hayes Award Nominations for Outstanding Ensemble Musical and Outstanding Production Musical]; REGIONAL: Scranton Shakespeare Festival: Next to Normal (Diana), Gypsy (June), Titus Andronicus (Lavinia). EDUCATION: BM in Musical Theatre from The Catholic University of America. Instagram: @nadja.tomaszewski Website: nadjatomaszewski.com

Greg Twomey (Earl) is thrilled to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous Olney Theatre Center Credits include: Witness for the Prosecution (Warder), Big River (Ensemble). DC AREA: Signature Theatre: HAIR (ensemble), Ragtime (Wille Conklin). ArtsCentric: Rent (Roger); Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Memphis (Huey), Rent (Roger), Xanadu (Sonny); Adventure Theatre: Oliver (Bill Sykes), Petite Rouge (Gator); EDUCATION: AA in Theatre from Montgomery College, BA in Theatre University of Maryland. Instagram @g2dot

Wood Van Meter (Ensemble) is thrilled to be making his Olney MainStage Debut with Waitress, having previously appeared in the concert of Kiss of the Spiderwoman. REGIONAL: Pittsburgh CLO: Forever Plaid, Nashville Rep: Rent, Ragtime; Hangar Theatre: Gypsy, James and the Giant Peach; TheatreZone: Camelot; DC AREA: Kennedy Center: West Side Story, Shear Madness; Arena Stage: Unknown Soldier, Ride The Cyclone; Shakespeare Theatre: Kiss Me Kate; Studio Theatre: Silence! The Musical; NextStop Theatre: Singin’ in the Rain; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Joseph..Dreamcoat (Helen Hayes Nom – Best Actor), Rep Stage: The Whale, as well as performances at Signature Theatre, Imagination Stage, MetroStage, and Washington Stage Guild. Love and gratitude to my incredible support system, especially Bruce. IG: @WoodVanMeter

Ethan Watermeier (Cal) is a multi-faceted teaching artist who has performed a broad range of principal roles in musical theatre, theatre, opera and concert throughout the United States. Performance highlights include: Broadway National Tour of Les Misérables (Javert and Factory Foreman/Combeferre), Arena Stage, Folger Shakespeare Theatre, OLNEY THEATRE CENTER, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Theatre Under the Stars, and Strathmore Music Center. As an educator, Watermeier currently serves as Musician-In-Residence and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at American University. EDUCATION: Northwestern University (BM), The Manhattan School of Music (MM), doctoral studies at The University of Maryland. In 2023 at the Linklater Voice Centre in Orkney, Scotland, Watermeier became a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher -- of which there are fewer than 250 worldwide.

Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Director/Choreographer) is a Tony, Drama Desk & Astaire Award nominated director & choreographer for her stirring & lovingly staged  Broadway|Kennedy Center revival of Ragtime and winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Director. MMD’s bold new approaches to classic plays & musicals include OLNEY THEATRE CENTER’s productions of Disney’s Beauty & The Beast & Once The Musical. Most recently, she was the American Show Director for Tokyo Disneyland’s 40th Anniversary Parade Harmony in Color. REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS:  Deceived (USA premiere, Maltz Jupiter Theatre); 110 In The Shade (Ford’s Theatre); Nine productions at The Muny including Meet Me In St. Louis for the 100th Anniversary season; The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time (St. Louis Rep & Cincinnati Playhouse); The Secret Garden (Cincinnati Playhouse & Center Stage); Smokey Joe’s Cafe (The Muny & Drury Lane Theatre|Jeff Award for Best Revival.) PREMIERES: Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever (Cherry Lane Theatre, NYC); William Finn’s Romance in Hard Times (Public Theater, NYC); Sherlock Holmes & The West End Horror co-written with husband Anthony Dodge (Bay Street Theatre, Edgar Award Nomination for Best Play). TELEVISION: Dodge appears as herself in Disney+ Encore! (Episode 1: Annie & Episode 12: Ragtime) and choreographed the Emmy Award-winning episode of Sesame Street, The Tango Festival and Elmo’s Wild West video. Dodge is also a wife, a mother, a teacher, a proud member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC). Instagram: @marciamilgromdodge

Christopher Youstra (Music Director/Director of Music Theater) As resident music director, Mr. Youstra has music directed and conducted over 50 musicals at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER, including Frozen, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Soprano, Fiddler on the Roof, Kinky Boots, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, A.D. 16, Cabaret, Matilda, Once, On the Town, In the Heights, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Carmen: An Afro-Cuban Jazz Musical, Carousel, Godspell, How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and has also music directed at many of the other local theaters including Ford’s Theatre: Ragtime, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Studio Theatre 2nd Stage: Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, Jerry Springer: The Opera, Passing Strange; Studio Theatre: Adding Machine: A Musical; Round House Theatre: Next to Normal, Once on This Island, A Murder A Mystery A Marriage, The Summer of ‘42, and The World Goes ‘Round; Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Les Misérables, The Color Purple, Titanic, Beauty and the Beast; Imagination Stage; The Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences; Arena Stage; Burn Brae Dinner Theatre; Montgomery College; American University; Musical Theatre Center; Signature Theatre; and Columbia Center for the Theatrical Arts. He has also played for many theaters, including Guys and Dolls with the Kennedy Center Broadway Series.  Mr. Youstra has been nominated for thirteen Helen Hayes Awards and received the award for Titanic. He was director of music at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Columbia for 29 years, has worked with both Phoenix Productions and Troika Entertainment national touring companies and toured both Europe and Korea with Smokey Joe’s Café. As a composer, Mr. Youstra’s music has been heard throughout the area, including The Dancing Princesses at Imagination Stage, Big Nate: The Musical (with Jason Loewith), the Helen Hayes Awards, the 2014 Summer Hummer, and the opening gala of the ATLAS center.

Chen-Wei Liao (Scenic Designer) is a New York City based scenic designer originating from Taipei, Taiwan. She received her B.A. in Drama and Theater from National Taiwan University and M.F.A. in Scenic Design from Carnegie Mellon University. She is a proud member of Local 829. Waitress will be her debut at the OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Her New York City theatre credits include the world premiere of Islands of Contentment, produced by The Tank and The Hypokrit Theatre Company; the world premiere of Three Musketeers 1941, produced by Project Y Theatre and was featuring by the Woman in Theatre Festival (WIT); the NYT critic’s picks A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing with the Irish Rep and the newly opened immersive project Life & Trust by the Emursive Production and more. Her regional credits include RING OF FIRE with the Cincinnati Playhouse; Murder on the Orient Express with the Cape Playhouse; Jersey Boys with the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and more. 

Sarah Cubbage (Costume Designer) Previously at Olney Theatre: Lend Me A Soprano, The Crucible, Labour of Love; Off Broadway: The Big Gay Jamboree; Disney Creative Entertainment/Disney Cruise Lines: The Tale Of Moana, Beauty & The Beast; DC: Arena Stage: Exclusion; Round House Theatre: The Tempest, co-directed by Aaron Posner & Teller, Spring Awakening, & The Heal, co-produced with The Getty Villa; Signature Theatre: A Chorus Line; Folger Theatre: The Winter’s Tale, King John; Studio Theatre: Fun Home, Kings, The Wolves, and The Hard Problem; Mosaic Theater Company: Unseen; Theatre J: Compulsion, Actually. Regional: Center Stage: That Face; American Repertory Theatre: The Lily’s Revenge; Syracuse Stage: Disgraced and In The Next Room; Favorite designs include: Crazy for You, directed by Susan Stroman, David Geffen Hall; Triumph of Love and Hippolyte et Aricie, directed by Stephen Wadsworth, The Juilliard School. Dance: Dark Lark (BAM, Kate Weare Company); The Radio Show (Bessie Award, Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion). Member USA 829 www.sarahcubbage.com

Minjoo Kim (Lighting Designer) is happy to return to OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous Olney Theatre Center credits include: The Brothers Paranormal. Off-Broadway credit: Demon at The Bushwick Starr. DC credits: English, Fat Ham at Studio Theatre, King of the Yees at Signature Theatre, Waitress, The Comeuppance, The Sensational Sea-Minketets at Woolly Mammoth, Ink, The Great Leap at Round House. Regional credits: The Comeuppance at Wilma Theatre, American Fast at City Theatre, The Chief at Pittsburgh Public Theater, The Royale, Christmas Carol at Kansas City Rep, Clue at Bristol Riverside Theatre, Cambodian Rock Band, Violet at TheatreSquared, Life Sucks at Cygnet Theatre, One in Two at Diversionary Theatre. International credits: South Korea; The Two (Space Owul), Crimson Girl (Dongsoong Art Center), Die or Not (Seoul Art Space Mullae), China; Mask on/off (Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre). Education: MFA in Theatrical Lighting Design from UC San Diego. BA in Theatrical Design from Chung-Ang University. Her work The Royale was selected for the National Exhibit at Prague Quadrennial in 2023. Website: minjoo-design.com

Matthew Rowe (Sound Designer) is proud to be back at OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Olney Theatre Center: Frozen, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Soprano, Fiddler on the Roof, The World Goes ‘Round, Kinky Boots, The Music Man, Headwig and the Angry Inch, A.D. 16, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Miss You Like Hell, Cabaret, Once, In The Heights, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, A Chorus Line; Kennedy Center: Orphie and the Book Of Heroes, First You Dream, Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred!), Nobody’s Perfect. MetroStage: The Last Five Years; Signature Theatre: No Place to Go, Miss Saigon, Company, The Last Five Years, Shakespeare’s R&J, Dreamgirls, Dying City, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Xanadu, God of Carnage, Brother Russia, Really Really, Hairspray (Helen Hayes nomination), A Second Chance, Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South, The Boy Detective Fails, The Hollow, Side by Side by Sondheim, Art, And the Curtain Rises, Sunset Boulevard, Walter Cronkite is Dead, A Fox on the Fairway, Chess, Sycamore Trees, [title of show], Sweeney Todd, Show Boat, First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb, Dirty Blonde, Giant, The Little Dog Laughed, Les Miserables, Anyone Can Whistle in Concert, The Visit, The Happy Time, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Glory Days, Merrily We Roll Along, The Witches of Eastwick. Norwegian Cruise Lines: Million Dollar Quartet, Rock Of Ages.

J. Jared Janas (Co-Wig Designer) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: Little Shop of Horrors. Broadway: Our Town, Once Upon a Mattress, Mary Jane, Prayer for the French Republic, Purlie Victorious, Good Night, Oscar, Sweeney Todd…, Ohio State Murders, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, Topdog/Underdog, How I Learned to Drive, American Buffalo, Jagged Little Pill, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, Gettin' the Band Back Together, Bandstand, Indecent, Sunset Boulevard, The Visit, The Real Thing, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, Motown, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, All about Me. Recent Off Broadway: Sally & Tom (Drama Desk Nomination), Dead Outlaw, Sunset Baby, Jelly’s Last Jam, Yours Unfaithfully (Drama Desk Nomination). Instagram: @JJJanas_

Cassie J. Williams (Co-Wig Designer): Design credits include Nina Simone: Four Women (Geva Theatre), Arms and the Man (Theatre Row), Otherworld (Delaware Theatre Company), Glimmerglass Opera Festival 2021 Summer Season, No Cowards in Our Band (Syracuse Opera and WCNY), Deathtrap (The Cape Playhouse), Ragtime (Theatre Under the Stars). Co-Design credit includes Sally and Tom (Public Theatre), Love All (La Jolla Playhouse). Associate Design credits include Our Town (Broadway), Purlie Victorious (Broadway), Once Upon One More Time (Broadway), Be More Chill (Broadway)(London). Education: BFA Costume Design at State University of New York at Fredonia. Instagram: @cassiejanaywigs

Lynn Watson (Dialect Coach) is pleased to return to OLNEY THEATRE CENTER, and to have the pleasure of working again with Marcia Milgrom Dodge--Lynn served as dialect coach for  her production of the musical Once. Other Olney productions include The Price by Arthur Miller, Camelot, and 1776. Lynn has coached Oscar, Tony, and Emmy winning actors, and has extensive experience at leading regional theatres including Arena Stage, Kennedy Center (Tennessee Williams retrospective), Ford’s Theatre, Round House Theatre, Center Stage, South Coast Repertory, A.C.T. San Francisco, and the Mark Taper Forum. She is a member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA, and a Lifetime Distinguished Member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA). Her writing appears in scholarly and popular publications. She led an award-winning fMRI research study on Fitzmaurice Voicework®. Lynn is an Emeritus Professor of Theatre at UMBC in Maryland. ​lynnwatsonvoice.com

Rosie Corr (Assistant Director) is a director, choreographer, and arts educator with an emphasis in artistry that centers consent, agency, and humanity. She is so thrilled to be making her OLNEY THEATRE CENTER debut, and to be working with the incredible Marcia Milgrom Dodge again. Recent work includes Mere Waters (SheNYC, World Premiere Director-Choreographer), Goddess of the Hunt (World Premiere Director, Fresh Fruit Festival), 1776 (Stagedoor Manor, Choreographer), as well as assistant work on Harmony (Broadway, Assistant Director) and On Your Feet (Riverside Theatre, SDCF Directing Fellow). Upcoming she will be working on Healing Mined (World Premiere Director, NYC). www.rosiecorr.com / @RosieCorr

David Singleton (Assistant Choreographer) is a Montgomery College alumni and Maryland based performer, choreographer, and teaching artist. Throughout his career he has had the pleasure of working throughout the DMV with a wide array of phenomenal artists. Some of his favorite onstage credits include Angel in RENT, Newsies, and Kinky Boots. Choreography credits include; Montgomery College SDT: Cabaret (Choreographer). Nextstop Theatre Company: Ride The Cyclone (Choreographer)(Helen Hayes Award Nomination Outstanding Choreography). Monumental Theatre Company: Tick Tick Boom (Choreographer) (Helen Hayes Award Nomination Outstanding Choreography) Songs For A New World (Choreographer). Toby’s Dinner Theatre: Spongebob the Musical (Choreographer)(Helen Hayes Award Nomination Outstanding Choreography). Kinky Boots (Co Choreographer). Artscentric: La Cage Aux Folles (Choreographer).

Ben Walsh (Production Stage Manager) Previous OLNEY THEATRE CENTER credits: Disney's FROZEN, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Ken Ludwig’s Lend Me A Soprano, The Brothers Paranormal, The World Goes ‘Round, Kinky Boots, A Christmas Carol (5 seasons), The Music Man, The Amateurs, Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors, Labour of Love, Every Brilliant Thing, Thurgood, Fickle: A Fancy French Farce, The Diary of Anne Frank, Forever Plaid, Cinderella, Spring Awakening, Little Shop of Horrors, The Submission, Over the Tavern. MD/DC AREA: Everyman Theatre: The World Goes ‘Round, The Lion in Winter; Signature Theatre:  Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity; Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy for Classical Acting (2 Seasons); Maryland Lyric Opera; Peabody Opera; Urban Arias. REGIONAL: The REV; Gateway Playhouse; Montana Shakespeare in the Parks; Riverside Center for the Performing Arts (Resident PSM, 2 Seasons); Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Christmas Town (3 Seasons). Ben is an alumnus of Olney Theatre Center’s Apprentice Training Program, and the company’s Resident Stage Manager.

Kate Kilbane (Assistant Stage Manager) OLNEY THEATRE CENTER: Substitute Assistant Stage Manager, Long Way Down, REGIONAL: Williamstown Theatre Festival: 2024 Fridays@3 Reading Series; Everyman Theatre: The Chinese Lady, Jump, Sense and Sensibility; Contemporary American Theatre Festival: The Overview Effect, Swing SM 2022 Repertory Season. DC AREA: Signature Theatre: Primary Trust; Joe’s Movement Emporium: Out of the Vineyard; Folger Theatre: Our Verse in Time to Come, Amadeus and Henry IV, Part 1; Imagination Stage: Corduroy, Zomo the Rabbit: A Hip-Hop Creation Myth, and Thumbelina; Shakespeare Theatre Company: The Tempest Free For All, The Tempest; The Kennedy Center, Family Theater: The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. The Kennedy Center: First You Dream, Follies, The Lisbon Traviata, Ragtime. 13 productions at Ford’s Theatre and 15 productions at Theater J.

Becky Reed (Assistant Stage Manager) is excited to return to OLNEY THEATRE CENTER. Previous Olney credits include  Marjorie Prime,  I And You, and  Ain't Misbehavin'. DC AREA: Arena Stage: Sanctuary City; Folger Theatre: Macbeth, King John; Imagination Stage: P.Nokio; Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences: Finn, The Cerulean Time Capsule, Elephant & Piggie’s We Are In A Play! (National Tour); Shakespeare Theatre Company: Comedy of Erorrs; Signature Theatre: Penelope, Ain't Misbehavin', Simply Sondheim. Studio Theatre: Clyde's, P.Y.G., The Effect, No Sisters; Theater J: How To Be A Korean Woman, Becoming Dr. Ruth, Everything Is Illuminated,  Copenhagen, and others; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion, Stupid F*ing Bird. REGIONAL: Baltimore Centerstage: American Buffalo, The Whipping Man, A Skull In Connemara; Playhouse on the Square: Grey Gardens, The 39 Steps, Dividing the Estate, From Up Here, Black Pearl Sings; The Resident Ensemble Players: August: Osage County, Murder on the Orient Express, The Crucible. EDUCATION: Auburn University.

Jessie Nelson (Book) wrote the musical Waitress with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. The show played on Broadway for 4 years and moved to the West End in London. Sara and Jessie went on to create the show Little Voice which they Executive Produced with JJ Abrams for Apple TV. Jessie wrote, directed, and produced Corrina Corrina and I Am Sam, starring Sean Penn, who received an Academy Award nomination for his performance. Among her other directing credits are Curb Your Enthusiasm and Love, the Coopers with Diane Keaton. Her writing credits include Step Mom and The Story of Us. She produced Fred Claus and Danny Collins. In London, Jessie directed Alice By Heart, which she co-wrote with Steven Sater with music by Duncan Sheik at the National Theater Connections Program and again at MCC in NYC. She began her career as an actress at the Public Theater, working with the award-winning experimental theater Mabou Mines and at the New York Shakespeare Festival. She wrote the children's book Labracadabra. She has been the Artistic Director of the Sundance Screen Writers Lab.

Sara Bareilles (Music and Lyrics) can next be seen starring in the upcoming Tina Fey's series, GIRLS5EVA. Bareilles first achieved mainstream critical praise in 2007 with her widely successful hit "Love Song,” which reached No. 1 in 22 countries around the world from her debut album Little Voice. Since then, Sara has gone on to receive seven Grammy® nominations throughout her career, which include Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Love Song” and one Album of the Year for her highly acclaimed third studio album, The Blessed Unrest. Her book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song, was released in the fall of 2015 by Simon & Schuster and is a New York Times best seller. Making her Broadway debut, Sara composed the music and lyrics for Waitress, for which she received her first Tony® Award nomination for Best Score and a 2017 Grammy® Award nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. She also made her Broadway acting debut in 2017 by stepping into the lead role in Waitress. 2018 was a big year for Sara; she co-hosted the Tony Awards®, was nominated for an Emmy® and Grammy ® for her role in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert and was awarded with the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Hal David Starlight Award. Sara also teamed up with Apple as an executive producer for Little Voice a 10-episode series, for which she created the original music. What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress, her most recent solo studio album, is out on Epic Records. On April 5, 2019 Sara released her fifth full-length and first album of original material since 2013, entitled Amidst the Chaos. For this latest body of work, she joined forces in the studio with legendary Academy® Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett. As a result, the album spotlights her voice as a singer and storyteller like never before, while making an enduring statement.

Adrienne Shelly (Original Film) was the writer of the 2007 film Waitress. An actor (Trust) and director (Waitress, I’ll Take You There, Sudden Manhattan) for almost 20 years, she conceived the film while pregnant with her daughter Sophie (Lulu in the film), for whom she wrote it as a “love letter” in just two weeks. Adrienne’s legacy includes the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, created after she died in 2006 to support Women Filmmakers.