Mary Gudaitis, 1991

Katherine Light, 1991 (Boston)

"I am in Boston with my wife and three kids and in 2002 I received my MBA in Management from Bentley College's McCallum Graduate School of Business. I am an AVP at Cambridge Savings Bank and currently President of the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce.

Donna Rubin, 1991 (Cincinnati)

"I have again returned to Cincinnati after doing my second 'term' in San Francisco. Just wanted to say hello. I have been teaching yoga for the past 4 years and continued my dance training with some of the most amazing teachers. Have also continued to write and perform my music. If you are in Cincinnati and have an interest in Yoga, I am happy to schedule private sessions or small group classes - sliding scale and trades available. Please let me know what your needs are: donnajay5@hotmail.com

Diana Maria (Uhlenbrock) (Smith) Riva 1991 (BFA) and 1995 (MFA) (Los Angeles)

Diana is a noted Distinguished Alumnus and the 2005 recipient of the Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award from CCM Drama.

Diana was the first recipient of the  Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award to a graduate of CCM Drama in 2005. Diana currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband Mike and her three children, Erin, Justin, and Sophia. Diana has appeared as series regulars and guest stars on shows including The Good Guys, Side Order of Life, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The West Wing, Common Law, Luis, Philly, Less Than Perfect, CSI, The X-Files, Everybody Loves Raymond, Party of Five, The Drew Carey Show, Reba, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Murder One, and NYPD Blue. She also appeared in Our Family Wedding, with Forest Whitaker, 17 Again, and What Women Want starring Mel Gibson.

Nicole Callender, 1992 (New Jersey)

Nicole is a noted Distinguished Alumnus and the 2011 recipient of the Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award from CCM Drama.

Nicole is an actor, a stuntwoman, a certified teacher of stage combat and a fight choreographer.  Some of her favorite NYC and Regional acting credits include Kat in All in the Miming, Anton in Showbusiness, Romaine and others in The Laramie Project, Perdita in The Winter’s Tale, Lily in Crumbs from the Table of Joy,  Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream,  D’artagnan in Duelists, The Forgotten Champions,  Doto in A Phoenix too Frequent, Lady McDuff, in Macbeth,  Viola in Twelfth Night,  Joan of Arc and Lady Bona in Henry VI Pts, I, II & III,   Delta in Freeman and Lunatics,  Joy in The Rights,  and Bonita in The Good Times are Killing Me. 

Nicole’s stunt work may be seen in:  Enchanted, Underdog, Super Ex Girlfriend, All My Children, The Black Donnely’s, Across the Universe, The Inside Man, Freedomland, War of the Worlds, Ladder 49, Alfie, Strangers with Candy, Save the Last Dance, Third Watch, Rescue Me, Law & Order SVU, Law & Order, Paid in Full, It’s a Miracle, Now & Again, Full Court Press, O.O Garage, and Oz.

Nicole has been teaching and choreographing stage combat for more than 10 years.  Fight credits include The Lady Cavaliers first film, A Double Edge Sword,  ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore, Behind The Mask, Antigone, Hazelwood Jr. High, Twelfth Night and The Miracle Worker to name a few. Nicole is a company member and resident stage combat teacher with Dreamcatcher Repertory Theater in New Jersey.  She teaches the summer stage combat program at The Lee Strassberg Institute, NYC and she also taught stage combat at The American Music and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan for 2 years. (Pictured: Daughters Olivia and Oona.)

Shannon Rae Lutz, 1992 (Cincinnati)

Congratulations to Shannon Rae on her recent ACCLAIM Award winning work on the props for the hit production of The Great American Trailer Park Musical at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, where Shannon serves as resident Props Artisan. Shannon is the Properties Master/Design Assistant and Director of Intern Programming at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati

Dain Paige, 1992 (Cincinnati)

A 1992 graduate of CCM drama department, Dain continues to perform with many theatres around Cincinnati, including Jersey Productions, the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Showboat Majestic, Kincaid Regional Theatre, NKU Summer Dinner Theatre, Monmouth Theatre and ArtReach Touring Theatre.  Favorite recent roles include Michael in I Do! I Do!, Cliff in Cabaret, Jesus in Cotton Patch Gospel, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and Satan in To and Fro and Up and Down: Bible Studies with the Devil.  Dain lives in an adorable house in Northside with his adorable dog Portia.

Diana Rogers, 1992 (Tampa, FL)

Diana's latest project is playing Berthe in Boeing Boeing at the Jaeb Theater in Tampa, FL. Her credits include Broadway, national tours and regional theater including Mme. Thenardier in Les Misérables, Carlotta in Phantom (directed by Wm. Phillip Mckinley), Louise and Patsy in Always Patsy Cline, Iowa Housewife in Menopause The Musical®, Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Margaret in Richard III, Mother Superior in Nunsense, Opal in Smoke On The Mountain, Truvy in Steel Magnolias, Mona in Best Little Whorehouse, Claire Zachanassian in The Visit, Lilianne LaFleur in Nine, Ms. Tweed in Something’s Afoot, just to list but a few. Television credits include ABC Afterschool Specials and a CBS Christmas special. Tampa performances include Mag in Beauty Queen of Leenane, Nat in Rabbit Hole for Jobsite Theater and Louise in the Straz Center's production of Always Patsy Cline. Rogers recently wrote the script, lyrics and music for her first musical: ISS (In School Suspension) The Musical, which was produced at Ruth Eckerd Hall's Murray Theatre.

David Schlapowsky, 1992 (Chicago)

Theatre: Poor Superman in Cincinnati and Chicago

Deanna Surber, 1992

Cooper (Ray) Thornton, 1992 (Los Angeles)

Cooper is a noted Distinguished Alumnus and the 2007 recipient of the Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award from CCM Drama.

Cooper recently guest-starred on the hit NBC sit-com My Name Is Earl

Film: Fracture, with Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn and Sir Anthony Hopkins, The House of Sand and Fog with Ben Kingsley, Flightplan with Jodie Foster.

Television: My Name Is Earl, Hannah Montana, Cold Case, The Practice, Scrubs, Judging Amy, CSI, Las Vegas.

Joining Cooper's son Jack is new baby Milo Cooper Thornton (born Sept. 11, 2007.

Eric Weisheit, 1992 (Cincinnati, OH)

After graduating with an MFA in Dramatic Performance in 1992, Eric went to work full time with the ArtReach Touring Theatre based in Cincinnati, serving as Production Manager and Resident Director until 1995.  He also performed locally in many productions including the title character in David Kisor’s original production; Duveneck: A Portrait of Words and Music at the Carnegie Theatre.

Eric has not done a lick of Theatre since the fall of 1998 when he Directed and played Peter in Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story at the Mercury Café in Denver, CO.  He now makes Cincinnati his home again with his beautiful wife Shelley Gilbert Weisheit – his two spectacular children Clara and Luke and has carved out a place in the financial services industry – currently working for Fifth Third Bank.

Dennis Whetsel, 1992

David Adams, 1993 (Cincinnati)

David’s career has taken him from the Box Office at CCM, to Development at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, to Managing Director of the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. He is currently selling insurance.

Gary Anaple, 1993 (Cincinnati)

Gary and his wife Gina live in Cincinnati, where he works for the local affilaite FOX 19

Dr. R. Andrew Holbrook, 1993 (Ohio and Louisiana)

Andrew received his Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University. "While I am proud of this achievement, I have not had much time to enjoy the moment. Having accepted an academic appointment as an assistant professor at the University of New Orleans last year, I am now an evacuee from my new home. For the time being, I am teaching and doing research at the Department of Political Science here at Ohio State."

Jodie Linver, 1993 (Cincinnati)

Congratulations to Jodie for her work in the Performance Gallery production of fricative, seen in the 2008 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, which was just seen in the 2011 Indianapolis Fringe Festival. Jodie is married and lives in Cincinnati where she is a massage therapist, and A Yoga/Pilates instructor.

Theatre: Woyceck; Halcyon Days; godsplay at the Performance Gallery and the Cincinnati Fringe Festival; Gilgamesh in Uruk: G.I. in Iraq at the Aronoff Center

Maria Miller, 1993 (Los Angeles)

From Maria: "I just filmed my second national commercial for the US Health Department's center for drug and alcohol abuse.  On June 1st, I will be in an episode of LA Forensics on Court TV." Previous work with MTV and Second City. Since moving to LA, she has starred in 4 independent films. She has launched her own production company called Top Dog Films in October 2005. She is currently serving as a producer on her first feature film Twilight Serenade being produced by Top Dog Films.

She can be contacted at maria@topdogfilms.com

Richard Oberacker, 1993 (New York)

Richard is a noted Distinguished Alumnus and the 2006 recipient of the Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award from CCM Drama.

Don’t Make Me Pull This Show Over, a new song cycle about parenting with music and lyrics by Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor, debuted at the 2008 Cincinnati Fringe Festival under the direction of Richard E. Hess (CCM Drama Chair). Starring Jessica Hendy (CCM Musical Theatre) and Gina Valentine (CCM Musical Theatre), it was named Audience "Pick-of-the-Fringe"; it has also been announced as the closing title of the season for the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati next year. Richard Oberacker's musical Ace will be seen this fall in a high profile production at the Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C., with plans for Broadway to follow. In addition, congratulations to Richard, who spoke at the CCM Commencement this year, after being named Distinguished Alumni for CCM.

Richard has played keyboards with National Tours of Cats, Showboat, and Music of the Night: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as on the award-winning revue Get Your Tickets Now (which he also authored). He has also composed Dracula the Musical and The Gospel According to Fishman.

Richard is currently the music director for the newest Las Vegas sensation, Cirque du Soleil’s greatest extravaganza KA, directed by the internationally acclaimed Robert LePage. He served the same role for Cirque’s DRALION. His award winning musical, ACE, premiered at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Cincinnati Playhouse before traveling to the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego. To hear the score from Richard's Journey to the West visit journeytothewestthemusical.com

Philip Solomon, 1993 (Los Angeles)

Philip Solomon is a highly regarded producer and creator of theatrical, circus, and musical entertainment with over 25 years of professional experience.  He is President of Way 2 Much Entertainment; a premier award-winning live event production company based in Los Angeles, a keynote speaker, and a coordinator and international trainer for Cirque Du Soleil.

Philip began his professional performing career in his teens with a circus-skilled based juggling and comedy duo.  He began creating entertainment that integrated music, comedy, acrobatics, audience interaction and thrilling stunts with fire, knives, balance boards, stilt walking and wire walking.  Simultaneously, Philip began performing as drummer for the pioneering punk rock band Anti-Heros, with whom he recorded multiple albums (on Link and Taang Records) and toured extensively.  He remained with the band for over 10 years. 

Philip attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM) and earned a BFA in Dramatic Performance.  Through a desire to find the words to express the emotions stirred by music and other influential forms of art, Philip found CCM and flourished in a conservatory environment.  During his undergrad studies, he performed lead roles in Drama, Musical Theater, and Opera productions, was awarded a talent scholarship and consistent Dean’s List recognition.  He is a noted Distinguished Alumnus and the 2010 recipient of the Julia Winter Cohen Career Excellence Award.  After graduating, Philip continued his theatrical training working with the Alliance Theater in Atlanta and The National Theater in London.

Way 2 Much Entertainment  (www.way2much.com)

Established in 2002, Philip is the currently the President and Creative Director of Way 2 Much Entertainment, a premier live event production company specializing in the creation of inventive entertainment concepts, motivational programs, and customized performance designs and décor utilizing world-class talent and designers.  Way 2 Much Entertainment was a finalist for the prestigious Event Solutions’ Entertainment Company of the Year Award in 2011.

Show Director/ Event producer:

Private Events for: Present and Mrs. Obama-White House Halloween, Royal Family of Jakarta, Prime Minister of Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Joan Dangerfield, Megan Mulally and Nick Offerman, and P. Diddy.

Entertainment direction and production with talent such as Prince, The Eagles, Black Eyed Peas, Jane’s Addiction, OK GO, Mastodon, Etta James, Queen Latifah, Macy Gray, and Alice Cooper

Directed performances with Broadway luminaries such as Terri Dale-Hansen, Titus Burgess, and Sarah Uriarte-Berry.

Creative Direction for Long Center of the Performing Arts in Austin Texas: gala grand opening and anniversary events.

Show Director and Associate Producer for the largest collection of variety and circus artists in the 100-year history of the Santa Monica Pier for their centennial celebration, 2009.

Customized performances and motivational programs for clients such as NFL Super Bowl, Coca-Cola, Warner Brothers, Shaw Industries, Sciele, McDonald’s, IBM, Citibank, America On-Line, Sony, Microsoft, AT&T, Disney, E-3, Amgen, Sikorsky Helicopters, US Bank, Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art, J.P. Morgan, Dell Children’s Hospital, U.S. Troops and Families serving in Honolulu Hawaii and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. 

Motivational Speaking:

Philip Solomon along with long time performing partner, friend and Hall of Fame Speaker: Dan Thurmon C.S.P.  (Motivation Works Inc., www.danthurmon.com) creates motivational programs and keynote speeches that utilize principles of entertainment to help others achieve greater awareness of trust, relationships, communication, balance, multi-tasking, and working in rhythm.

Cirque Du Soleil

Philip serves as coordinator for Cirque Du Monde- Los Angeles.  This program is part of the Social Action and Global Citizenship division of Cirque Du Soleil, and is designed to positively intervene with at-risk and underprivileged youth worldwide by teaching circus skills to help build self-esteem, confidence, social interaction skills, and links with community.  In Los Angeles, Philip leads a team of coaches who conduct workshops with The Los Angeles Youth Network, My Friend’s Place, The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, and Covenant House LA.

International Trainer:

Philip is also one of a select few international Social Circus Master Trainers for Cirque Du Soleil that conducts intensive workshops for socially based artists and youth workers teaching program principals, ethics, and techniques. Recent Trainings include:

Zip Zap Circus School in Cape Town, South Africa: 2007 and 2008

The National Institute for Circus Arts (NICA) in Melbourne Australia: 2008

Cirque Du Monde, Las Vegas 2009 and 2011

American Youth Circus Organization (AYCO) 2006 and 2009

Circus Space London: 2011 and 2012

Theater (partial listing)

Faust: Atlanta Opera Company, Turandot: KU NA’ UKA Theater of Tokyo, Japan, Escape from Happiness: Horizon Theater Company, Atlanta, Journey to the West (Originating the role of Tsunami) 37 Arts Plaza, New York, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Music Director/ Drums): Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati, The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Fire instructor and segment choreographer- Drury Lane, Chicago

Film and Television appearances (partial listing)

The Muppets: Disney, 2011, A Thousand Words: with Eddie Murphy, 2012, Rush Hour 3: Principal stunt performer, Austin Powers- The Spy Who Shagged Me: Fire Breathing/ Stunt performer, Being John Malkovich: Hand artist (for John Cusack), In The Flesh: leading role/ independent feature

Guest host and featured performer:

Late Show with David Letterman, TBS Movie Lounge (with Fred Willard, Vince Vieluf and Kent Osbourne), American Music Awards (with Jennifer Lopez), General Hospital

Stunt and special skills trainer for Sean Gunn on Gilmore Girls and Leonor Varela (Cleopatra) for the film Les Infortunes de la beauté

National commercials include Citibank, IHOP, Taco Bell, Tropicana and Radio Shack.

Music and Compositions

Philip composes and produces original music for live performances. His original compositions have been performed on stages around the world and on HBO, MTV, CBS, ABC and FOX networks.

Drew DiCostanzo, 1994 (Las Vegas)

Dylan Ace DiCostanzo made his entrance to the great stage of life on September 20th

DREW received a B.F.A. in Dramatic Performance from one of the top theatre training programs in the United States: The University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. The professional training he received there has provided a large palette of skills to apply to DV8 Reality Magic's performances. After college, Drew continued performing magic for corporate functions, theme parks and special events while also acting professionally with various regional and touring theaters. Drew has created/directed magic for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cincinnati Opera, Art Reach, the Nauticus Museum in Norfolk, Virginia, Cincinnati Zoo and for DOOLEY, a 10-part PBS television pilot produced by Scripps-Howard which was picked up by Disney.

When Drew & Angela met while appearing in the same show at Paramount's Kings Island it became obvious that the two had a dynamic and quirky energy onstage together. They created a show filled with cutting-edge magic that was centered around their classy and fun personalities. Their success led them to Las Vegas, where they continue to perform their classy and fun magic at resorts, casinos, and for the many conventions which are held in Sin City.

(Check out Drew's website at DREWandANGELA.com)

Dwayne Brown, 1994

Keith Gavigan, 1994 (Chapel Hill)

Keith earned an MFA in Dramatic Performance from CCM and a BA from Western Illinois in Theatre (1991). He is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA).

While in Chicago he performed on Spirit Cruises and in children's theatre productions such as Snow White (Prince) and Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere).  At Center Theatre he performed in Women and Wallace (Wallace) and was the understudy in Butley (Reg) .  He also was in an episode of Untouchables as a convict. In Cincinnati he has appeared in several commercials/industrials and taught at the Acting Academy. He was Bradford in Just Passin Through at the Ensemble Theatre and was a stunt man in Kings Island Action Zone. 

He was in the film Drymount, which won a 1996 Sundance Film Festival short film making award. 

His other passion is to combine arts and science in education.  He was the education manager at Aquarium of the Bay and taught at the San Francisco Zoo and Cincinnati Zoo where he developed conservation programs and presented live animal encounters.  At the Shedd Aquarium he performed in The Dolphin show and in Dr. Finn's Wonderful World of Sharks.  His Aquarium Maintenance Business (Aquadynamics) installed the exhibits at the Cincinnati Children's Museum Center. He has managed multi-million dollar retail business: Petco and Michaels Arts & Crafts. Recently he taught acting/stage combat as an assistant at Duke University and was a guest artist on Commedia Dell-arte for dramatic literature course at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. 

Keith currently lives with life partner Dr. Karen O'Brien.

Teresa Mattimore, 1994 (Cincinnati)

Karen O'Brien, 1994 (Los Angeles)

Karen is David G. Frey Fellow Assistant Professor of Dramatic Art at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. A scholar of Irish drama, she researches, publishes on, and teaches Irish literature and theatre. Her essays and reviews may be found in books and journals, including The Theatre and Films of Martin McDonagh (Methuen Drama, 2012), ‘Out of the Earth’: Ecocritical Readings of Irish Texts (Cork University Press, 2010), Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Theatre Research International, and Theatre Journal. She is currently working on a manuscript that explores the plays of contemporary Irish dramatists Marina Carr and Conor McPherson.

She has worked in theatre and film as a director and actor and in various artistic and administrative positions at companies including The Second City (Chicago), American Conservatory Theater (San Francisco), and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. In recent theatrical work, she has served as dramaturg of Caryl Churchill’s A Number and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days (PlayMakers Repertory Company, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan (Claire Trevor School of the Arts, University of California, Irvine), and Jean Anouilh’s Antigone (Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). Her directing credits at CCM include Reckless, Bent, Crimes of the Heart, An Evening of Jazz and Poetry, and The Malady of Death. She holds a MFA in Directing from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music and a Ph.D. in Drama from University of California, Irvine.

Kristin (Orr) Henderson, 1994 (Cincinnati)

After many years in theater education (most recently teaching and directing at The Seven Hills School in Cincinnati), Kristin Orr Henderson (MFA, Theater Performance) has joined Cincinnati Shakespeare Company as their Development Director.  Kristin also holds a M.A. in Drama Therapy from New York University, is a Licensed Massage Therapist, and is working towards becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher. She feels deeply fortunate that CCM gifted her with the skill to be a Renaissance Woman: actor, director, theater advocate, educator and administrator.  

She is currently completing her Certificate in Professional Fundraising from Boston University, and is delighted about her new job, as she has always been passionate about Shakespeare and is an outspoken champion of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s mission and vision. She is grateful to work towards the ongoing, robust growth of CSC!

Kristin was also recently awarded an Orchid Award for "Excellence in Acting" from ACT Greater Cincinnati for her performance in The Vagina Monologues at Middletown Lyric Theatre.  On the home front: her two sons, Jack and Duncan are entering first grade and Kindergarten, respectively, and both show a remarkable penchant for drama (of the histrionic sort.) 

Contact Kristin at 513.381.BARD (ext. 3205) or by email at kristin.henderson@cincyshakes.com.

Jim Rizopoulos, 1994 (BFA) (Los Angeles)

Jim and his wife are the proud parents of a beautiful new baby girl.

Mueen Ahmad, 1995 (Los Angeles)

Currently in THE REAL LOVE, a new musical at the PASADENA CIVIC CENTER starring London West End Star JOANNA AMPIL and Tony Nominee ADAM PASCAL and Tony Winners CADY HUFFMAN and DAiSY EAGAN.

Mueen guest starred in the Nickleodeon summer hit movie VICTORIOUS: LOCKED U P.

BOMBAY DREAMS on BROADWAY with Oscar winner. A.R. RAHMAN. Produced by ANDREW LlOYD WEBBER.

HOMEBODY/KABUL by TONY KUSHNER with MAGGIE GYLLENHALL at THE MARK TAPER FORUM.

Guest starring roles on THE SOPRANOS, LAW & ORDER, HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET. OUTSOURCED. LEVERAGE. NUMBERS  and many more.

Mueen was also nominated for an LA OVATION AWARD.

Julia Carpenter, 1995 (Los Angeles)

From Julia: "Julia recently wrapped work on Surfer, Dude (starring Matthew McConaughey) scheduled for a summer 2008 release.  Another newly completed project includes the film Off The Ledge (currently in post production).  Other than appearing in several "indie" films since moving to Los Angeles, she has had steady work in commercials, appearing in national ads for The Montana Meth Project, Toyota, Rome (HBO Series), White Castle, Petco, among others.

Julia is in her fourth season as a company actor and writer for No Shame Theatre - Los Angeles.  Julia forayed into photography as of late, and has had two exhibits of her photos of Graffiti Art in the past year.  Julia can be found on the web at juliacarpenter.com.

Damian Baldet, 1995 (New York)

Congratulations to Damian Baldet who, after becoming a new father this spring, is returning to The Lion King for 6 weeks as Timon. “I'm going to Taipei to do the Lion King for 6 weeks.  Yes, "They pulled me back in".  Apparently that is in a country called "Taiwan", where all my toys were made when I was little.”

He just finished a run in Mark Twain’s A Murder, A Mystery and a Marriage at the Two River Theatre Co. in Red Bank, New Jersey. Graduate of UC San Diego, MFA in Acting.

Theatre: The Lion King (National Tour), Gone Missing, Poor Superman, Nobody's Lunch, Frankenstein, Canard, Canard, Goose

Stephanie Cotton-Snell, 1995 (Boston)

Congratulations to Stephanie for her work in Boston with the theatre company that she created last year: Girl Talk Theatre. She recently presented a new piece, THE BREAKTHROUGH, an original theatre piece created by the Girl Talk Theatre Acting Class at ON THE RISE in April. ON THE RISE is a non-profit helping women who are homeless or in crisis, find safety and discover new possibilities. Girl Talk Theatre's mission is to empower poor, homeless and marginalized women through the art of theatre.

Stephanie and husband Mark are the proud parents of Olivia (12), who is into rock climbing and the electric guitar! Stephanie still performs with Friends of the Groom.

k. Jenny Jones, 1995 (Cincinnati)

BA Thomas More College; MFA, Theatre Performance, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Member of the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), Actors Equity Association (AEA), American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Association of Theatre Movement Educators (ATME), Association of University Professors (AAUP). Certified Fight Director, Certified Teacher, and the only woman in the United States recognized by the SAFD as a Fight Master, k. Jenny is internationally in demand as a master teacher of contemporary violence, and is known for her arena style of unarmed stage combat called “Scrappy Fighting”.

Regional Fight Directing includes choreographing Actor’s Theater of Louisville’s annual hit, Dracula for the past three years, as well as the world premieres of Zoe Kazan’s Absalom and Naomi Wallace’s Hard Weather Boating Party; nearly twenty productions for the Tony award winning Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park including Durango, Coyote on a Fence, Avenue X, Red Corners, 12th Night and Much Ado About Nothing; for five years she was the resident fight director for the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company working on such plays as Coriolanus, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Lovers and Executioners, Private Lives, and Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolfe; numerous productions for the Cincinnati Opera including the world premiere of Margaret Garner with Denyse Graves; Of Mice and Men for the St. Louis Repertory; and the hit premiere of Jerry Springer the Opera for New Stage Collective. Other regional credits include Human Race Theater Company, The Know Theater, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera and over sixty productions for CCM including Cyrano, Don Giovanni, Rakes Progress, Rape of Lucretia, Pelleas and Melisande, Man of LaMancha, Wild Party, Brigadoon, Crazy For You, As You Like It, 12th Night, Charlie’s Aunt, Glory of Living, Suburbia, The Lady’s Not For Burning, Anon(y)mous, Elephant Man and I Hate Hamlet .

One of the founders of the nation’s most successful premiere theaters, the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (ETC), k. Jenny continues to walk the boards and was most recently seen in ETC’s productions of Dean Man’s Cell Phone and More Fun Than Bowling. She studied the acting techniques of Michael Chekhov with Mala Powers, Andrie Malaev-Babel, Joanna Merlin, and Russian Laureate Viacheslav (Slava) Kokorin. Owner/Director of the Bard alley Studio, she teaches the Michael Chekhov acting technique and mentors aspiring teachers of stage combat. In 2007 Jenny was awarded two Acclaim Awards: one for the role of Fraulein Schneider in CCM’s Cabaret and the second was the Cincinnati Acclaim “Most Valuable Player” award. Named CCM’s Ernest Glover Outstanding Teacher (2009).

Jenny has been on staff at CCM since 1993.

Kurt Gerard, 1995 (Heinlein)

Kurt is currently coordinator of the distinguished BFA Actor Training Program at Missouri State University. He is a working member of AEA, SAG, & AFTRA. He is also an active member of the Association of Theatre Movement Educators, The Society of American Fight Directors, Fight Directors Canada, and is a certified stuntman specializing in falls and aerial work. Kurt currently serves as an FDC Representative within ATME and as a Missouri Representative to SAFD.

Kurt has performed and directed extensively since completing his MFA in Acting from CCM, with performance credits that include New York, national tours, regional theatre, daytime drama, film, commercial print, and over 20 national television spots, as well as directing credits that include New York, regional, and university theatre. His stunt, aerial, and combat work have been seen in film, daytime drama, national commercials, and in the professional and educational theatre circuits.

Kurt completed his PhD in theatre from Louisiana State University and has been awarded several grants for his work in Green Theatre. In 2008 he published Green Theatre: Promoting Ecological Preservation and Advancing the Sustainability of Humanity and Nature, and was dubbed the "Father of Green Theatre" in a corresponding NPR feature. Kurt maintains aconsistent dedication to environmental education, noted by his volunteer work for The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service.

The new drama, Evangeline Drowning, premieres Feb 25th at Missouri State University before traveling to Southern Rep, Swine Palace, and the Bayou Playhouse. Written and directed by Kurt Gerard Heinlein (MFA Acting) with music by Mighty Kate (Katy Pfaffl, Musical Theatre), the play investigates the social and cultural impact of wetlands disintegration in Southern Louisiana as told through the eyes of teenagers from the region. Derived from factual accounts, the play was developed through 2 years of investigation and interviews with individuals in the region.

Look for forthcoming articles in playbill.com and Backstage.

Kendall Sawhill, 1995

Nathan Thomas, 1995

Anna (Anne) Webber, 1995 (Los Angeles)

After working for the talent agency Buchwald and Associates in Los Angeles, Anna has returned to Law School.