The Artists of Spring Awakening
Steven Sater, Playwright and Lyricist
For over a decade, multiple Grammy and Tony award-winning writer Steven Sater has worked with composer and singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik to create a number of successful projects spanning several mediums. The first collaborative effort between Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik was Umbrage, a play with music that premiered at the HERE Arts Center in New York, for which Steven Sater wrote the script and lyrics, and Duncan Sheik composed the music. After Umbrage, Steven Sater developed the lyrics for Duncan Sheik’s “Phantom Moon”, an album released in 2001. Their next collaboration, Nightingale, a musical based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story, received a pre-Broadway workshop in November of 2010 and is under the direction of Moisés Kaufman.
Duncan Sheik, Composer
Duncan Sheik is also know as a singer/songwriter and began his musical career singing with Lisa Loeb while a student at Brown University before pursuing a solo career as a recording artist. In the mid 1990s, Sheik’s self-titled debut on Atlantic Records, was an enormous popular and critical success and spent over 50 weeks on the Billboard 200, earning him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Vocal. Along with playwright and lyricist, Steven Sater, he has also been developing The Nightingale, based on the stories of Hans Christian Anderson. The two are also in talks about a contemporized film musical version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. In addition, Sheik has been working with playwright Kyle Jarrow and director Keith Powell on an original musical currently titled Whisper House. The Whisper House CD, featuring Duncan Sheik, is due out on Sony/Victor in January,2009. Sheik has composed for film and television, including Curious Pictures’ forthcoming animated film Little Spirit.
Fred Sebulske, Director
Spring Awakening marks Fred’s 56th directed production for Actors’ Theatre. Among his many awards and accolades, he is the recipient of 10 Grand Awards for outstanding direction, the Norma Brink Lifetime Achievement Award and the Arts Council Arts Award.
Fred is the founder of Actors’ Theatre Grand Rapids.
Madeline Blyveis (Ilse)
Madeline is a psychology major at Aquinas College. She is originally from St. Joseph, Michigan and is thrilled to have broken into the Grand Rapids theatre community. Her most recent performance was in Aquinas’ production of Snow Angel.
Jonathan Clausen (Various Adult Male Roles)
Jon was last seen on Actors’ stage in the 2011 production of Distracted – for which he earned a Grand Award nomination. He has also been seen as the title role in 2010’s Mr. Marmalade and in Actors’ annual Living on the Edge 10-minute play series, as both an actor and director. In addition to his work for Actors’, Jon has performed locally with Circle Theatre, Civic Theatre and Aquinas College. Outside of Grand Rapids, his credits include more than 20 stage productions since 1992, in addition to film and commercial work.
Addison Reid Coe (Melchior)
Reid is honored to be welcomed by Actors Theatre, and also honored to work with the directing powerhouse that is Fred, Scott, and Kyle. Reid has performed before in a few shows in Grand Rapids; most recent he was seen as the lead role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. Reid can also be seen in a new webseries called Perks which has been called “A barista version of “Cheers” with a touch of West Michigan”.
Katie Duiven (Anna)
Katie is making her Actors’ Theatre debut with Spring Awakening. Though no stranger to community theatre, this will be her first non-high school production since GRCT’s 2007 Traveling Troupe. In the meantime, Katie has been seen on stage in several Forest Hills Northern High School productions, including her favorites, Beauty and the Beast (Belle) and Hairspray (Penny). She is currently a GRCC student and a member of the Cold Stone Creamery crew.
Aaron Guest (Ernst / Reinhold)
Aaron is performing in his first production with Actors’ Theatre, but has been a part of the Grand Rapids Theatre community most of his life. From shows at Rockford High School to the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre, some of his credits includeInto the Woods, White Christmas, Oliver!, Seussical The Musical, The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abr.),and The Sound of Music. For the past two and a half years, he has also performed at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, Florida.
Malia Huffman (Martha)
Malia makes her Actor’s Theatre debut in Spring Awakening! She was most recently seen in the Theater Project’s Rocky Horror Picture Show during the Laugh Festival and as Jeanie in SouthSide Theater’s Hair. She also worked as assistant choreographer for the Grand Award winning musical Hairspray at Civic Theater, where she also played Blue in the beloved Blue’s Clues Live musical and Tiger Lily in Peter Pan. She’s performed professionally with Cherry County Playhouse, Opera Grand Rapids, Red Barn Playhouse, and River City Studios. She is a graduate of Point Park’s University Conservatory of Performing Arts.
Maureen Kirkwood (Various Female Adult Roles)
Maureen is continuing her tradition of playing mothers on stage, adding the various characters she plays in Spring Awakening to roles such as Mother in Ragtime (GR Civic Theatre), The Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods (Circle Theatre)and Guido’s Mama in Nine (Circle Theatre). Speaking of Nine, she is pleased to once again be playing Maggie Nye’s mother…and this time, Maggie is playing a daughter, not a son. Maureen’s other Actors’ Theatre credits include Six Women with Brain Death, From Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill, Assassins, and The Christmas Schooner.
Kyle Los (Hanschen / Rupert)
Kyle was last seen on stage performing as “The Lecturer” in Reefer Madness: The Musicaland “Michael/Brian” in The Sweetest Swing in Baseballat Actors’ Theatre. Other performances include”Tweedle-Dee” in Alice and Wonderlandwith Magic Circle and “Mark” in Circle Theatre’s production of Rent. Off-stage credits include music director and tech director: The Drowsy Chaperone, Rogers High School; music director: Godspell, Holland Civic Theatre and accompanist: Jane Eyre: the Musical, at Hope College.
Duncan McCargar (Moritz)
Duncan is performing in his first production for Actors’ Theatre. Locally, he has been seen in Magic Circle Theatre’sAlice in Wonderlandas the White Rabbit and as Rocky in Laugh Fest’s 2011 production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He is currently a theatre major at Aquinas college where he has appeared inNevermore(Grand Award Nominee), Any Other Name, A Room with a View,andWriter 1272(Grand Award Nominee). He can also be seen in the 2010 Short filmFallenand the Grand Valley Television productionmat42dr.
Maggie Nye (Wendla)
Maggie is performing on the Actor’s Theatre stage for the first time. This is her 12thcommunity theatre production here in Grand Rapids; her latest was playing the role of Peter Pan in GRCT’s production of Peter Pan last December.
Colin Tobin (Georg / Dieter)
Colin is making his first appearance on the Actors’ Theatre stage. Colin was one of the members of The Harmonizers; part of Circle Theatre’s Caberet Series this past summer. He has also been seen on Circle’s stage in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Guys and Dolls. He also recently appeared in Hello Dolly at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. While attending high school at Kenowa Hills, Colin performed in Seussical the Musical, Oklahoma, Once Upon a Mattress, and played the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat..
George Toles (Otto / Ulbrecht)
George is performing in his first production with Actors’ and has enjoyed every second of it. Currently George is a senior at Grand Valley State University where he studies under Dr. Kathryn Stieler and is finishing his degree in vocal performance. This summer George made his Equity debut playing the role of Mary Sunshine in Chicago with Mason Street Warehouse in Saugatuck. A few others of George’s favorite roles he has played include Candide in Candide, The Mysterious Man in Into the Woods, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Troy Bolton in High School Musical, Lt. Joseph Cable in South Pacific, and Schroeder in You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.
Kaile VanOene (Thea)
Kaile is thrilled to be performing with Actors’ Theatre for the first time. She graduated with a B.A. in theatre and music from Calvin College. She has worked with the Calvin College Theatre Company, Howmet Playhouse, Williamsburg Showcase Dinner Theatre, and Wealthy Street Theatre. She was most recently seen playing Laertes in Hamlet and studied staff combat with Mike Empson and movement with Dell’ Arte physical theatre master, Gulshirin Dubash. Kaile has also been seen as The Wife in András Visky’s North American Première of Backborn, Gilmer/Cellist in Godspell, Elphaba in Wicked, Peter in Peter Pan, Annie in 42nd Street, and Gavroche in Les Miserable. She served as costume head for Cries of Wolves andco-stage manager for Flowers for Algernon.
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