could dance through life one more time,
wouldn't you try to make it perfect?
The Cast
LYNNE WINTERSTELLER (Irene) Broadway: A Grand Night For Singing (The Roundabout); Annie (Uris Theatre). Off-Broadway: Revisiting Wildfire; Closer Than Ever(Drama Desk “Best Actress” Nomination); Richard Cory (NYMTF “Best Actress” Award); The Mistress Cycle (NYMTF); Such Good Friends (NYMTF); I Sent A Letter To My Love; Nunsense; The Gifts of The Magi; Picnic At Hanging Rock; The Grass Harp; Music In The Air; The Rise of David Levinsky. National Tours: Grace Farrell in Annie (1st, 4th & Martha Raye Tours); Sarah in Company (National Tour). Regional Plays: Clybourne Park (Pittsburgh Public Theater); Circle Mirror Transformation (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis - Kevin Kline Award); Dinner With Friends (Alley Theatre); Lend Me A Tenor (Walnut St.); Rumors (Walnut St.); M. Butterfly (Syracuse Stage); Scenery (Saugatuck Mason St. - World Premiere). Regional Musicals: Sunset Boulevard; The Light In The Piazza; The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (LA Ovation “Best Actress” Nomination); Kiss Me Kate;42nd Street; Something’s Afoot; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Television: “Law & Order: CI”; “Total Security”; “Big Brother Jake”; “Chappelle’s Show” plus numerous Commercials. Original Cast Recordings: Closer Than Ever; A Grand Night For Singing; Broadway Sings Christmas; Lost in Boston III; Unsung Musicals II (Varese Sarabande label). www.lynnewintersteller.com
JAMES CLOW (H.C. Potter) Broadway: White Christmas, Assassins, Wonderful Town, Company, She Loves, Me, Blood Brothers. For City Center’s “Encores!” series: Pipe Dream and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Off-Broadway: Marc Blitzstein’s Juno. Mr. Clow has appeared in over three dozen regional theaters in projects ranging from plays such as Romeo and Juliet (Romeo) to new musical works by Kander and Ebb, Sheldon Harnick, Cy Coleman and Barry Manilow. National Tours: Peter Pan (Captain Hook opposite Cathy Rigby), Les Miserables (Javert), Jekyll and Hyde (Utterson), Oklahoma! (Curly), Sunset Boulevard (Artie) Jesus Christ Superstar (Peter), and Into The Woods. Television appearances include The Good Wife, PBS’ “Great Performances” – Sondheim a Celebration at Carnegie Hall, and the 2005 Emmy-winning “Live from Lincoln Center’s” Passion starring Patti LuPone. Mr. Clow holds a BFA from Syracuse University - has attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and studied Improv with The Groundlings.
STEPHANIE ROTHENBERG (Young Irene) Stephanie Rothenberg made her Broadway debut in 2010 in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING starring as Rosemary opposite Nick Jonas after appearing in the original Broadway cast with Daniel Radcliffe. Ms. Rothenberg recently originated the role of Elinor Dashwood in the World Premiere of SENSE & SENSIBILITY THE MUSICAL directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge at the Denver Center. She also originated the role of Princess Anne in the World Premiere of the new musical, ROMAN HOLIDAY at the Guthrie Theater and the role of Princess Clementine in the World Premiere of FROG KISS. Training: CAP21 at NYU. Many thanks to Richard, Milton, Tara Rubin Casting, and Harden-Curtis.
BRET SHUFORD (Vernon) Broadway: CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE LITTLE MERMAID. Other New York credits include Actors Fund Benefit performances of A WONDERFUL LIFE, BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR. National tour: LCT’s SOUTH PACIFIC. Favorite Regional: Dr. Fine/Dr. Madden in NEXT TO NORMAL at the Adirondack Theatre Festival, Corny Collins in HAIRSPRAY IN CONCERT with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Billy in ANYTHING GOES (Carbonell Award Nomination) Maltz Jupiter Theatre. He has also performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Film includes: THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, BEDFELLOWS, and UNCLE MELVIN’S APARTMENT, as well as several web series. Bretshuford.com -@BretShuford
WAYNE W. PRETLOW (Walter Ash) Pleased to be working with Richard Stafford again on this project after working with him on Sweeney Todd at Penn State theater. Recently completed a run of Guys and Dolls at Great Lakes Theater, in Cleveland. Television: Guest-Star CBS Drama, The Good Wife season one; co-star HBO, The Sopranos season two; NBC Law & Order and Law & Order SVU. Film: The Accident, Cannes Film Festival winner Next Stop Wonderland and In Retrospect. Broadway: The Civil War, Madison Square Garden A Christmas Carol. Off Broadway: St. Louis Women, Starring Vanessa L. Williams;Golden Boy; City Center. International tours: Ain’t Misbehavin; Regional: Guys & Dolls (Arena Stage) Nominations: 2000 Helen Hayes; Winner; 2013 I.R.N.E for best supporting actor in a musical (Guys and Dolls). He has appeared in over 100 national commercials which include; Saturn, Wendy’s, Cannon Copiers, Staples and AOL, to name a few. Pretlow is CEO and Founder of ICH Artist Marketing Consulting; professional: waynepretlow.com, twitter: @pretzenmassa, PTL!
MIA MICHELLE MCCLAIN (Diane) Mia Michelle McClain, a native of New Orleans, is thrilled to be making her NYMF debut! Recent credits: Violet (Dir. Rodney S. Hudson), All Shook Up (North Shore Music Theatre), Hairspray (Westchester Broadway Theatre, Fulton Theatre), Rent (Syracuse Stage), Smokey Joe's Cafe (as Brenda), Dreamgirls (as Deena Jones), Once on This Island (as Ti Moune), Cabaret, Oklahoma!, I Love You Because. In addition to her theatrical endeavors, Mia Michelle is a part-time music composer/producer and holds membership in the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. BFA - Musical Theater, Syracuse University ('11). www.MiaMichelleMcClain.com
LAUREN SPRAGUE (Ginger Rogers/Ensemble) NYMF Debut! 1st National Tour: La Cage Aux Folles; Regional: Goodspeed Opera House, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Cape Playhouse, Riverside Theatre, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Other Favorite credits; How to Succeed…(Hedy LaRue), Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt), Two Gentlemen Of Verona(Silvia), 42nd St.(Peggy). Lauren is proud to be a CCM Alum, AEA member and Michael Linger’s wife. Special thanks to Richard, Milton and all of the creative team and cast, DGRW and my wonderful family!
MAY-ELISE MARTINSON (Lillian/Ensemble) May-Elise is thrilled to be a part of Castle Walk - both onstage and online as the production’s social media manager. May-Elise recently graduated from Wellesley College, where she studied composition and vocal performance. During her college career, she danced ballroom competitively and served as the president of the Wellesley College Ballroom Dance Team. She is happy to have found a production that combines her love of dancing with her experience singing and performing musical theatre. May-Elise is also an active composer and lyricist, currently working on a musical vlog series to be launched during the course of the summer. This fall, she will be attending the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
ASHLEY CHASTEEN (French Woman/Ensemble) Ashley is so honored to be a part of Castle Walk! She just finished the first national tour of Catch Me if You Can (Swing, Dance Captain). Favorite credits include CATS National Tour (Bombalurina), Damn Yankees (Agnes), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Helena), and the Red Hot Hollywood National Tour (Dance Captain). She just had two country singles released on iTunes! I love you Mom, Dad, Scott. Thanks to Richard! www.ashleychasteen.com
JONATHAN STAHL (Lew Fields/Ensemble/Dance Captain) Jonathan Stahl is honored to be doing his first NYMF show, and more so with Richard Stafford. He has been Richard's associate for many years doing multiple regional productions. As a performer, Jonathan has done everything from Ballet to Broadway and from Denver to Dubai. Working with Richard gives him the opportunity to work on the artistic staff of productions, but he is fortunate to still get to perform as well, as he is doing with CASTLE WALK. As a director/choreographer, he has worked at Westchester Broadway Dinner Theatre: NINE (starring Bob Cuccioli), Legally Blonde, and currently running Sound of Music. He wishes to thanks you, the audience, for your continued support of the Arts.
JESSE FACTOR (Gladwyn/Ensemble) National Tours: Cats. Europe: Cabaret. Dance: Martha Graham Dance Company, Graham II. Regional: Opera North, NCT, NSMT, Sacramento Music Circus. Training: BFA Tisch School/NYU, Martha Graham Center. With love and gratitude to Richard Stafford, my teachers, and family.
CHRIS KANE (Fred Astaire/Ensemble) Chris is very excited to be making his NYMF debut with this wonderful project! Chris is a professional ballroom dance competitor for which he holds three regional titles and was ranked third nationally in the Theater Arts genre. Musical credits include: Link Larkin in Hairspray and Don Lockwood in Sinigin in the Rain (Hackmatack Playhouse), Potise/Fonz Understudy in Happy Days (La Comedia), MacGregor/Harry Understudy in Brigadoon (Prather Entertainment Group), A-Rab/Dance Captain in West Side Story (Bay Colony Productions), and Ren McCormick in Footloose (Ja'Duke Productions). Chris would like thank Richard for this amazing opportunity. Love to his family, friends, and especially Kenny.
The Creative Team
MILTON GRANGER (Book, Music, Lyrics) is composer/librettist/lyricist of six chamber operas, all of which have been produced multiple times throughout the U.S. by college opera workshops and regional companies; two ("Uncharted Waters" and "Talk Opera") are first-place National Opera Association prizewinners. His musical play "Bronze Mirror" was selected for the Manhattan Theatre Mission's 2012 Festival, and "Peter Rabbit and the Garden of Doom" won the 2012 Actors Playhouse annual competition for children's theater. Several of his musicals have been produced by Seaside Music Theater and Mill Mountain Theater, among others. His work as keyboardist/conductor includes five Broadway shows, most recently "Mary Poppins", four national tours, three off-Broadway shows, and over ninety productions at regional houses.
RICHARD STAFFORD (Director / Choreographer) On Broadway, Mr. Stafford was the choreographer for In My Life (Music Box Theatre). Off Broadway: choreographer for A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Internationally he was director/choreographer for The Full Monty, Joseph…Dreamcoat (Mexico City), choreographer for Jesus Christ Superstar (Mexico City), Evita (Sydney), Cats* (Mexico City, Buenos Aires) and director/choreographer for Cats (Copenhagen, Sao Paulo, Rio) National Tours include Cats (director/ choreographer), My Fair Lady (choreographer), Joseph…Dreamcoat (choreographer, starring Deborah Gibson and Patrick Cassidy)
Regional credits include: Director—Dreamgirls, Miss Saigon (North Carolina Theatre) Director/Choreographer: Camelot (TUTS), Curtains, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Beauty and The Beast, Cats (Walnut Street Theatre), 9 to 5, The King & I, Singin’ In The Rain, Crazy For You, Fame, Swing (North Shore Music Theatre), Evita (Casa Manana), The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (Ogunquit Playhouse starring Sally Struthers), Hairspray, Can-Can, George M!, Fiddler On The Roof, Gypsy, The Full Monty, A Wonderful Life (Westchester Broadway Theatre), Oliver!, The Sound Of Music, Annie Get Your Gun (North Carolina Theatre), Oliver!, Joseph…Dreamcoat (Pittsburgh CLO), Sweeney Todd (Pennsylvania Center Stage)
* all Cats productions are a restaging of the original choreography and direction
www.richardstafford.net
JERE LEE HODGIN (Additional Material By) A MFA graduate in Acting and Directing from the University of Georgia with over 30 years experience in academic and professional theatre. He has produced over 250 productions, many of which were new and premiere works, and his directing career includes more than 200 plays, operas, and musicals. He directed Mrs. Kemble’s Tempest in Edinburgh, Scotland, St. Croix, VI, and at various theatres in this country including Walnut Street Theatre’s production. Currently he serves as a member of and is Director/Chair of the School of Theatre and Dance at the University of Montana. For 20 years he was the Producing Artistic Director of Mill Mountain Theatre where he founded the nationally recognized Norfolk Southern New Play Festival. Jere served as Artistic Director and Co-Producer of Highlands Playhouse in NC and has directed at numerous professional theatres across the country including Walnut Street Theatre, The Fulton Theatre, The Barter Theatre, The Phoenix Theatre, The Montana Repertory Theatre, Idaho Repertory Theatre, and Wayside Theatre. He directed the national tour of Bus Stop for Montana Repertory Theatre. He has directed new works at Native Voices at the Autry/La Jolla Playhouse, Shenandoah Playwright’s Retreat, Missoula Writer’s Colony, Northwest Playwright’s Alliance/Seattle Rep and The Phoenix Theatre New Play Festival. He has served as a National Endowment for the Arts site visitor and has been a member of the National Endowment for the Arts Creativity Panels for multiple years. He has also been a regional panelist for the Virginia Commission for the Arts, as well as theatre panelist for the ID, SC, and NC Arts Commissions. Jere is a past president of the Southeastern Theatre Conference where he also chaired the Playwriting Committee. He served as Vice-President of the board of The National Alliance for Musical Theatre for which he has been co-chair of New Works and a member of the Festival of New Works committee. He has been a reader and judge for numerous national new play contests and competitions. He is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Actor’s Equity Association, Theatre Communications Group, and The National Theatre Conference. Jere has served extensively as a consultant to non-profit arts organizations and boards of directors. He received the Perry F. Kendig Award in recognition of his efforts to champion the arts in Southwestern Virginia and was named the 1999 Citizen of the Year in Roanoke, Virginia.
LOREN SHAW (Costume Designer) has been working in theatre and film in New York City for the last four years after finishing her graduate degree at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a founding member and the Resident Costume Designer of Exit, Pursued by a Bear where she has designed Restoration Comedy by Amy Freed, Arok of Java and Greater Angels by Jason Williamson, and The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler by Jeff Whitty. Some of her other recent projects include: The Golden Dragon by Roland Schimmelphfennig (The Play Company), Venus In Fur by David Ives (Singapore Repertory Theatre), The Man with America Skin by Seth Moore (American Theater of Actors), Restoration Comedy by Amy Freed (The Flea Theater), Can-Can (Westchester Broadway Theater), These Seven Sicknesses by Sean Graney (The Flea Theater), 666 Park Ave (Costume Coordinator / ABC), Mirror Mirror (Assistant to Eiko Ishioka / Relativity Media), Bourne Legacy (Costume Assistant / Bourne 4 productions). lorenshaw.prosite.com
GERTJAN HOUBEN (Lighting & Projection Designer) Gertjan Houben is a New York based designer with an international background. Recent US productions include; Sakharam Binder by Vijay Tendulkar (Columbia University); Bartholomew Fair by Ben Johnson (Muhlenberg College, PA) which received a Kennedy Center ACTF Outstanding Lighting Design Award ; Bourgeois Pig by Brighde Mullins (Muhlenberg College, PA), Hard Times, An American Musical by Larry Kirwan (the cell); 44 Plays for 44 Presidents by The Neo-Futurists (Muhlenberg College, PA); Miss Lilly gets Boned by Bekah Brunstetter (Studio 42, Ice Factory); Pinocchio's Ashes by Jokum Rohde (SATC); The Clearing by Jake Jeppson (Axial Theater, Pleasantville NY); A Midsummer Nights Dream (Muhlenberg College, PA) International credits include Andre Rieu's televised spectacles at Radio City Music Hall and the Toronto Skydome and DJ Tiesto live in Rotterdam Harbour for the Volvo Ocean Race. Gertjan has a Bachelor in Arts from the Amsterdam Theater School and a MFA from NYU Tisch's Department of Design for Stage and Film. gertjanhouben.com
