Online presentation — Fall 2020
Cast
Kevin Clay
Kevin is known (maybe) for having played Book of Mormon‘s Elder Price on the North American Tour, Broadway, and founding the UK/European Touring company. He is excited to continue exploring this new territory of virtual musicals after having just recently been a part of Free the Fish and Dream at the End of Time.
Sarah Ellis
Sarah Ellis is an NYC-based actor, concert artist, creator and producer with a passion for community building across the visual and performing arts. Her professional credits span across theatre, film, dance, commercial, and symphony work, locally in new works readings and labs in NYC, regionally as a leading lady in award-winning theaters across the country, including the First National Tour of the Tony-Award Winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, and as a frequent guest artist with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Penn State University where she received the Margaret “Peg” French Undergraduate Award in Theatre. Sarah is the Co-Creator/Producer of MT SHORTS, a production company that fosters emerging writers through the creation of original musical short films @mt_shorts. Follow her adventures @sarahruthliss and stay up-to-date on where she’s headed next at www.meetsarahellis.com.
Alan Wiggins
Alan is very excited for this new adventure! The future of Musical Theatre depends on finding and listening to new stories and new voices. Broadway: The Lion King, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Pretty Woman: The Musical. Select regional: Olney (Joseph…Dreamcoat – Helen Hayes nom.), Sacramento Music Circus (Sister Act – Sweaty Eddie), Fulton Theater (Miss Saigon). A huge to thank you to Michael, Matt, and Elise for bringing along for this journey. Instagram: @alan_wiggins_ If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that we are indeed in an Age of Adventure! Here We Go!
Shawn Cahill
Shawn Cahill is like everyone else here. An actor, singer, and voiceover artist who is currently stuck in an apartment unable to hang out with his friends, family, and loved ones. Originally from New York where he studied at the State University of Albany and the New York State Theatre Institute he eventually moved to Los Angeles so he could enjoy trees and sunshine which he had discovered while touring the US (all the states but Hawaii). This will be his third Shapiro musical that he has appeared in, having also showed up as Slurm in Super Sidekick: The Musical and Blenderman in A Feast of Snacks. Please stay safe everyone. I can’t wait to play on a stage or set with all of you again.
Miatta Lebile
Nigerian-American actress Miatta is coming off a busy year, having performed in roles in the new feature, Mailman, executive produced by Gus Van Sant, and co-starring on HBO’s Insecure and Amazon Prime’s new show Them: Covenant. A trained singer, she was recently chosen by Academy Award winners, Director Bill Condon, Composer Stephen Schwartz, and Producer Dan Jinks to perform new, original music as part of a pitch presentation for an upcoming movie musical. Additionally, she is also an alum of the 2016 NBC Diversity Showcase. You can currently see her as the spokesperson in the commercials for Drivetime.
Josh Hillinger
Josh Hillinger is an actor, writer, producer with his BA in Theatre from San Francisco State University. He performed in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding on Pier 39 and worked with San Francisco Sketchfest and Point Break Live before moving back to Southern California. Josh taught improvisation at Culver City High School and trained with UCB, Wet The Hippo, Comedy Sportz, and Groundlings. He is a member of Color and Light Theatre Ensemble, seen in The Pokémusical, Things To Ruin, Giraffenstein, Merely Players and more. Other recent Los Angeles productions include Tommy: in Concert, The Bully Problem, Assassins, Peter and the Starcatcher, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Lost the Musical.
Andrew Landecker
Andrew Landecker is an actor, singer and musician. He is excited to join the cast of Gideon and the Blundersnorp, and to be collaborating again with Michael Gordon Shapiro and NMI. Recent credits include: Sky High Remote Learning (Speed), The Last Sheep (Sheepy), The Boggs & Maschmeyer Funeral Home (Ed), The Bully Problem (Chester), Chicago (Amos), The Music Man (Harold Hill). Stay safe!
Allie Costa
Allie Costa always has energy to burn and a song to sing. Her theatre credits include Spring Awakening, Alien vs. Musical, The Bully Problem, Hamlet, and Wake. Film/TV credits include 90210, You Me & Her, The Hopes, and What She Said. Allie is also a prolific playwright and screenwriter whose works have been produced internationally, including the critically-acclaimed Two Girls, Safe Distance, Mindstream, and Can You Keep a Secret? She’s also appeared in commercials, narrated audio books, and lent her voice to video games. Occasionally, she sleeps. www.alliecosta.com www.imdb.me/alliecosta
Jordan Mitchell-Love
Jordan Mitchell-Love is an award-nominated actor, red carpet host, stuntman, and filmmaker. Some of his credits include playing Lance on the popular LGBT web series It’s Complicated, and Contestant 1013 in the Indie Horror movie The Human Zoo.
When not performing he enjoys reading, competitive swimming, trail running, martial arts, traveling, and spending time with his dogs. Thank you very much for supporting the arts at this time. Be kind to yourself, and to others, and speak up if you see injustice.
Instagram/Twitter: @jmitchelllove
Website: www.jordanmitchelllove.com
Katie Snyder
Greetings to all throughout this merry land! Katie is thrilled to be joining the Gideon cast in this fantasy adventure after a hiatus from musical theatre (which she has missed so dearly). Theatre credits include Cabaret, Urinetown, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown amongst many more. Since graduating from USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, she has been pursuing a voiceover acting career in commercials, animation, e-learning, and dreams of hearing her voice on the big screen in an animated feature film. When she’s not in the booth, Katie enjoys teaching performing arts to kids all over LA county and inspiring the next generation of artists, especially with Young Storytellers. Thank you to the Gideon team for the opportunity to get back onstage and revive her passion for the crazy world that is theatre. Keep up with Katie’s shenanigans at katielinsnyder.com .
Clint Blakely
Clint Blakely (he/him) is excited for his first online musical — from his new home in NYC! He had a blast playing Bertrand in Michael Gordon Shapiro’s The Bully Problem at last year’s Hollywood Fringe, and looks forward to future collaborations. Recent theatre: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (nat’l tour), Assassins, Lady Injustice, The Tragedy of Medusa. Regional: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), Hamlet (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), To Kill a Mockingbird (Theatricum Botanicum). Clint unequivocally supports #BlackLivesMatter and fights with community organizations such as Justice LA and SURJ to create a world where everyone is safe and cared for. Thanks to Mom & Dad for the love and support! Keep up with Clint online @clintblakely and clintblakely.com.
The Blundersnorp
The Blundersnorp is excited to be part of this production, given that the cast is so edible. It remains somewhat concerned about the issue of typecasting.
Creative
Matt Toronto
An award-winning director, writer and producer, Matt Toronto’s coming-of-age feature Face 2 Face landed on Netflix after winning the Jury Award for Innovation at the Edmonton International Film Festival (www.seeface2face.com). His first feature, The Pact, won top awards and official selection in 22 film festivals around the world (www.watchthepact.com). Together with his wife, he created the half-hour comedy series, Move On, now in development with The Africa Channel. On the stage, Matt directed the world premiere of the musical Ordinary Days as well as a long list of plays and musicals in New York City and across the country. Matt began his professional career as an actor, performing in national tours, Off-Broadway and an at array of regional theatres. This includes five seasons in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular dancing alongside the Rockettes! He earned an MFA in directing from Penn State University and a BFA in musical theatre performance from The University of Michigan. He also spent eight years on faculty at Penn State where he taught directing, acting and musical theatre in their prestigious School of Theatre. He currently teaches acting, screenwriting and producing at New York Film Academy and offers classes and coaching through his own acting studio (www.minigradschool.com).
Elise Dewsberry
Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., has been involved in the development of new works for over forty years: as an actor/singer, as a director, as a dramaturge, and as a writer. While living in Toronto, Elise served as the Assistant Artistic Director of the Muskoka Festival; the Co-Ordinator of the festival’s annual Musical Theatre Writer’s Colony, the Associate Dramaturge of the Canadian Stage Company; the Resident Dramaturge of the Smile Theatre Company; and was the co-founder of Toronto’s Script Lab. Elise spent many years touring Canada with Nine Months – a one-woman musical which she commissioned from writers Carl Ritchie and Stephen Woodjetts. Elise and Carl also co-wrote Any Body Home?, which was produced by the Cordova Bay Theatre in Victoria, British Columbia, and published by Dramatic Publishing. Elise joined ANMT as Associate Artistic Director in 2003; joined Founding Artistic Director John Sparks as Co-Artistic Director in 2010; and became Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc. in 2013. Elise has served as a member of the Selection Committee for the National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s annual Festival of New Works, and is currently a Los Angeles Ovation Award Voter. Elise is also the author and evaluator of the Book Lab and the Outlining Lab, offered online through www.writingmusicaltheatre.com. Elise is ecstatically married to cellist Stephen Green, and they are the proud parents of political organizer Rebecca Green.
Michael Gordon Shapiro
Michael Gordon Shapiro writes music for movies, games, the concert hall, and the stage. Occasionally he puts pen to paper as book writer and lyricist as well. Other theatrical projects include The Bully Problem, Super Sidekick: The Musical (co-written with Gregory Crafts, and published by Samuel French) and the short musical anthology A Feast of Snacks. As you probably guessed, he is a big reader of fantasy literature. Some favorite authors include George RR Martin, Robin Hobb, Daniel Abraham, David and Leigh Eddings, and Lloyd Alexander.
Visit Michael online at www.mikemusic.com.
Travis Dixon
Favorite things: motorcycles, brain games, and hiking anywhere. Favorite Roles on Stage: a roller-skating Snoopy, a tap dancing Swan, a very spastic Pseudolus, a stripping Keno. Television: policing on Black-ish, dead on NCIS, wife beating on What/If, distracting on Holey Moley. Film: managing in The Riot Act, crying in The Saint of Auschwitz, and sonar-ing in Silent Venom. Favorite edits: Almost Lost, Keep, Raising a Black Scholar, A Glory Sewn with music by Danny Elfman. Coolest moment: Winning Wipeout. Proudest achievement: Rachel Lehnen. More at www.MrTravisDixon.com
Alen Yen
Mr. Alen Yen serves as President of Boston Operations and Creative Director of ifactory at RDW Group, Inc. Mr. Yen is an artist and designer trapped in a business-driven world. From an early age, he wanted nothing more than to successfully render spaceships, robots and comic book characters. Mr. Yen served for several years as a concept designer and consultant for the gaming and new media industry, contributing to projects for Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra Online and LEGO. He founded ToyboxDX.com, an online community celebrating antique japanese robots of the 70’s and 80’s that receives over a million visits a month. In 1993, he started his first consultancy servicing architects and designers with graphic and computer-aided design. In 1995, He received Master’s in Education from RISD. He received degrees in Industrial Design and Metalsmithing from the University of Michigan School of Art.
Graydon Schlichter
Graydon Schlichter is an actor, sound designer, and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. As a designer he has worked extensively with Theatre Unleashed and The Santa Monica Theatre, as well as with Force of Nature, and various other production companies in connection with Hollywood Fringe festivals and elsewhere including 2019’s The Bully Problem. Already an audiobook narrator, Graydon started designing sound for productions he was performing in that otherwise lacked a dedicated designer. Now that he’s been well and truly bitten by the bug, he is always looking for the next opportunity to support great theatre with rich, evocative, and not-distracting sound.
As theatre has been “less accessible” since, say, mid-march, Graydon has taken the opportunity to accelerate his partnership with Lillian Yves into overdrive, delivering top-notch duet style audiobook narration with her, under the name Vincent Lee Grayson. Check out all they are up to at www.lillianyves.com .
Congratulations to Mike Shapiro et al for making something truly special in a time when creativity is desperately needed, while being far more challenging to express than usual. And, of course, thanks to him for bringing me aboard!
Publicity: Jim Martyka
Additional vocals: James Everts
Special thanks: New Musicals Inc, Jordan Toronto, Rachel Lenhen
Website design & development by Sunny Kilogram.