CAST AND CREW BIOS

Kim Ohanneson (Playwright) Kim is a screenwriter (and has worked on projects for Bette Midler and Reba McEntire) and has field produced for MTV and VH1 including “Laughing Matters”, which featured interviews with Sid Caesar, Mel Blanc and Garry Marshall . Kim was a Contributing Editor to Feeling Great Magazine and has written for other national publications.

Marty Axelrod (Music & Lyrics) Marty has been a playwright, his …Drum Roll Please… produced twice at the Olio Theater in Los Angeles.  Marty played drums and piano on several national tours of  the musical I’m Getting My Act Together...., including a long run at the Curran Theater, and has provided accompaniment for improv comedy groups The Groundlings and TheaterSports.  Marty has just released an original CD Songs of Shiloh.  Please visit www.songsofshiloh.com.

David Stein (Director/John Tadich) David was in the original Impossible Productions of Emperor Norton the Musical at the Dark Room Theater in January of last year. In July, he directed and performed in a condensed version of  Emperor Norton the Musical for the SF Theater Festival and produced Norton’s Cabaret: An Evening of Fun and Frolic at the Bella Union Melodeon this past fall at the Dark Room. Since settling in the Bay Area more than 10 years ago, his selected acting credits include the California Shakespeare Theater, the Shotgun Players, the Encore Theater, Shakespeare at Stinson and, of course, Impossible Productions. His directing career began three years ago with an outdoor adaptation of The Bacchae for Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. He’d like to thank Jim, Marty, Kim, Erin, Greg and all the Ohannesons for their outpouring of love and support for this very noble, necessary and right royal project. Long live the Emperor!

Crew (in alphabetical order)

Cesar Abella (Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working on Emperor Norton the Musical. A San Francisco native, Cesar graduated from UCLA with a degree in Theater, where he specialized in Playwriting. Recent technical credits include Trimming the Holidays (La Vache Enragee), Moving Right Along (Magic Theatre), The Shape of Things (The Complex, Santa Monica), and Haywire! (LA Repertory). In his spare time, Cesar enjoys writing plays about boys like him and girls who are mean to them. Thanks to the Emperor Norton group for this great opportunity!

Margery Fairchild (Choreographer) Margery is the artistic director of Dark Porch Theater, a highly collaborative musical theater company that mixes the mediums of original music, dance and verse-driven narrative. With Dark Porch Theater, Ms. Fairchild has written and directed The Whipping Hand ('02), Les Petite Rats ('03) and Hen...The Musical ('05). She is currently working on a new production entitled Under The Bed to be staged in June '07. As an actor, Margery is a regular member of No Nude Men Productions and has had the honor of working with directors Stuart Bousel, John Dixon and Jesse Lovejoy Balwin. Ms. Fairchild will appear with Last Planet Theater this winter. She is proud and elated to be involved with the re-staging of Emperor Norton the Musical and would like to thank Nikita Schoen for her partnership and hard work.

Simon Kaplan (Assistant Director/Fitch) received his Bachelor's degree in Theatre from Northwestern University. Since moving to the Bay Area, he has been a member of "Mystery is Served" and Eastenders Repertory Company. Simon teaches drama for the Berkeley Unified School District and is the camp director for Stage Door Conservatory, a musical theatre camp in Berkeley. He has directed over thirty plays and written a few as well. When he grows up he wants to be a Muppet, preferably Gonzo the Great, but he wouldn't turn up his nose at being Beaker or Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.

Ty McKenzie (Light Design) Ty opened her production company Tech Slave Productions last year.  She can be found in cramped light booths around the Bay Area.

Jill Ohanneson (Costume Designer) Jill has been a costume designer in the film and television industries for over 20 years. Her work, which began with Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, has included the design of over 50 feature films. She has recently finished up the last season of the series Six Feet Under, earning two Emmy nominations.

Nikita Schoen (Choreographer) Nikita graduated from high school a year early in June 2006. She's been courting theater since grade school, and finally stepped it up a notch with performing in The Dark Room's Young Frankenstein in October. This is the second show she's been given a chance to work on in San Francisco.

Helen Slomowitz (Costumer Designer) Helen has played in the costume world locally with Actor's Ensemble of Berkeley and also a few independent films. She has enjoyed working and learning with the cast and crew of Emperor Norton! And would like to thank each person for their help, input and for being so fantastic! Thank you!

CAST (in alphabetical order)

Nancy Bower (Lotta Crabtree, Little Lost Chicken) Nancy is darn pleased to be in a second round of Emperor Norton the Musical. Prior to becoming a mama five months ago, she was last seen in Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple at The Live Oak Theatre and in the feature indie, Unlocking Apollo’s Front Door, where she headed up a small crime ring. Nancy’s a proud Dark Room irregular and thanks the Stein/Axelrod/Ohannesons for letting the LLC out of the coop and into the Crabtree.

Damien Chacona (George Fitch) Damien has been acting since the mid 80s. He is on his third year as a San Francisco native and has recently appeared onstage as Chef in The Curse of the Goddamned Ship and as President Alberto in Duck Soup. In addition to acting, Damien is an accomplished sculptor, poet, and playwright. He is currently working on his first novel and is teaching himself how to paint. This is his first production at the Shelton Theater.

Kimberly Chong (Coolie, Chinese Businesswoman) Kim is thrilled to be serving in the Emperor’s Army! New to San Francisco audiences, Kim was last seen playing Amanda McKinney in Working with the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley. When she’s not singing and fighting hoodlums onstage, you can find Kim painting, writing music, and engineering new genetic products that help reunite illegitimate children and their unwilling biological parents.

Peter Doty (Bummer) Peter is reprising the role of Bummer, which he played in the original production of Emperor Norton the Musical at the Dark Room, where he also played Professor Plum in Clue: The Play..  He has appeared in a number of films, including The Doors and Getting Even With Dad.  In 2003, Peter’s novel Bikinie Jones and the Pinched Family Jewels became the first (and so far only) Trash Fence Literary Installation at the Burning Man Festival.  Peter is also a fine art photographer and has exhibited his photographs and photo-collages in over sixteen galleries in five states, including several solo shows in NYC.  Originally from Maine, Peter lives in the Haight-Ashbury district where he enjoys his career as a bohemian bon vivant, dandy and prankster (see RE/Search Publication’s “Pranks 2”).  In his spare time, he creates prize winning conceptual art Easter bonnets.  Peter also enjoys writing about himself in the third person.

John Harrison (Soapy) John is the kind of guy you see walking down the street talking to himself...except less weird. Don't worry, it's just him memorizing his lines. John has been working in musical theatre since he was a wee lad, performing with the San Francisco Arts Education Program and the Young People's Teen Musical Theatre Company. Recently he's been seen as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in the Impossible roductions presentation of Young Frankenstein. John can be found wandering the halls of the Dark Room Theatre, where he spends most of his time these days.

Arthur Keng (Coolie, Lee Tong Hay) Hailing originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Arthur is a recent UC Berkeley graduate where he acted in numerous musicals including Pippin (with All Shook Up star Joe Mandragona), Company, She Loves Me, and The Cradle Will Rock. Since moving to "The Greatest City on Earth", Arthur has worked with the Playwright's Center of San Francisco and the MFA Playwrighting Candidates of SF State University

Benjamin Knoll (Samuel Tetlow, Butt Riley, Fireman, Denis Kearney) Ben is a recent graduate in theatre from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, where he trained in all the wondrous things that a theatre degree in a liberal arts college can do. Coming from a theatre family, he learned how to write bios in the third person since before he knew actually what the term 'third person' meant.

Sadie Lune (Proprietress, Lola Montez) Sadie is a woman of many names, hats, and costume changes. Recently, she played both Frau Blucher and Elizabeth in the Impossible Production of Young Frankenstein at the Dark Room. She's delighted to rejoin the EN cast and get back where she belongs: tossing spiders out of a corset. Sadie is also the perpetrator of 'Paul Reubens' Day', the annual celebration of sexual freedom and Pee-wee Herman. (www.paulreubensday.com)  She is learning to ride a unicycle and lives in the Mission with her three snakes.

Laura Malouf-Renning (Galloping Cow) Laura is pleased as Pisco Punch to be performing again in Emperor Norton the Musical. She was part of the original cast at the show's run at the Dark Room Theater, where she quickly attained a reputation for being an insufferable know-it-all. She has also appeared as Valerie and the Booing Ancient in The Princess Bride: The Play. Laura is also a member of Big Moves' Mass Movement and the Phat Fly Girls. When she's not onstage, she can be seen turning people to goo on her massage table, wrangling her six cats, and trying to finally schedule a honeymoon with the ever-wonderful Micharel.

Maura Sipila (Dancing Heifer) Maura Sipila has been working in the Bay Area performing arts scene for over twenty years, performing over a hundred choral concerts and twenty stage shows, including seven operas. She got her musical training in the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and is a theater major at City College of San Francisco. Maura can be seen periodically with the San Francisco Renaissance Voices, the California Bach Society, the San Francisco Lyric Opera and the Dark Room. Recent performances include Clue: The Play, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Il Trovatore and The Magic Flute. She is thrilled to be joining the cast of Emperor Norton the Musical, the titular character being one of her long-time personal heroes. Ms. Sipila enjoys making grandiose and spurious claims and also long walks on the beach.

Jeff Trescott (Emperor Norton) Jeff Trescott loves to act and has been doing a lot of it since he retired. His most recent appearance was with the Shotgun Players in Love is a Dream House in Lorin.

Don Wood (Mark Twain, Shanghai Kelly, Construction Worker) A Bay Area actor for 23 years, Don is reprising his Samuel Clemens role from the original Norton. Other recent shows include Young Frankenstein and Twilight Zone:The Play. He can also be seen on sketch comedy stages as Lemmy with his pal Figgy. Type "Lemmy and Figgy" into the search box on YouTube.com to find out if breakfast, Hip Hop, and hazmat suits blend well together.

Steffanos X (Lazarus) Steffanos is happy to return to the role of Lazarus, proof that you can teach an ole' dog new tricks or at least a new song. He also fronts the band “Tom jonesing” and you can also scratch his ears in Lovesick, the cat allergy musical coming to the Dark Room this spring.

EMPEROR NORTON
the MUSICAL
was first presented
at The Dark Room
December 2, 2005 through February 13, 2006
See reviews below

Bay Area Guardian
SF Bay Times
Bay Area Reporter

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FARLEY by Phil Frank

SPECIAL THANKS TO