Isaac Lamb (Chester Talbott) was previously at Broadway Rose in Forbidden Broadway and is thrilled to be working with the company again! Isaac is a native Portlander and a proud company member of Third Rail Repertory Theatre. For several years Isaac starred in the national tour of Defending the Caveman, Broadway’s longest running one-person show. Locally, Isaac has performed with Third Rail in The Lying Kind, Kiss Me Like You Mean It, and The Wonderful World of Dissocia; Portland Center Stage in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Artists Repertory Theatre in Assassins and Vitriol & Violets (2009 Fertile Ground); and Lakewood Theatre Company in Into the Woods and Lend Me a Tenor. In 2007 he won a Drammy Award for the role of Gaston in Northwest Children’s Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast. He also directs theater and film, including Broadway Rose’s teen summer workshop.

Audrey Voon (Mary Kelly) is happy to be back with Broadway Rose after debuting with the company last summer as Tuptim in The King and I. Other favorite roles include: Léonide in Triumph of Love, Ginger in Zombie Prom, Isabel in The Pirates of Penzance, and Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music. She is also a member of the Portland Opera Chorus and is thrilled to have worked with Opera Theatre Oregon and Mock’s Crest Productions. She received her B.A. in music from University of Portland in 2009 and has since enjoyed performing and teaching in Portland. She teaches voice and piano through her studio and choir at local schools. Audrey is also an instructor at Ethos Music Center, where she recently established their first-ever musical theater class.

Amy Jo Halliday (Mrs. Ratkin). National Tour: Christine in The Phantom of the Opera. Regional Favorites: Anna in The King and I (Broadway Rose), Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast (Pixie Dust Productions), Mrs. Lyle in The Ghosts of Celilo (Artists Repertory Theatre), Josephine in Arizona Theatre Company’s production of H.M.S. Pinafore (AriZoni award), Marion in The Music Man and Guinevere in Camelot both with the Oregon Symphony, Ruthie/Ned in Bat Boy: The Musical (Portland Center Stage), Nursemaid in Street Scene, and Melanto in The Return of Ulysses (Portland Opera). Amy Jo has been a guest soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Music and the Spoken Word), Phoenix Symphony, and Oregon Symphony (Pops & Classical series). She has been heard on national television as the singing voice for a Mountain Dew commercial. Amy Jo has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a masters degree from Portland State University. She lives in Keizer with her husband and their four beautiful children.

Bruce Blanchard (John Pizer, a.k.a. Willy) is thrilled to be making his debut at Broadway Rose. Local credits include: Archibald in The Secret Garden (Lakewood Theatre Company), Biff in Death of a Salesman (Artist Repertory Theatre), multiple roles in Eating Raoul (Live On Stage), Pish Tush in The Mikado (Mock’s Crest), Lancelot with Oregon Symphony, and Fred Graham/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate (Musical Theatre Company). National: Ensemble/Singer in Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing (1st national tour, Broadway), Smudge in Forever Plaid (Broadway, Detroit, Atlantic City, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Johanesburg, S.A.), multiple roles in Forbidden Broadway (national tour, Off-Broadway), Narrator in Opal (Lambs Theatre/Off Broadway), Ensemble/Cover Stone(Broadway), and Combeferre/U.S. Javert in Les Misérables (2nd national, Broadway). Television: John Mossberg in Leverage (“The Studio Job” opposite John Schneider), Detective Jerry Peterson in As the World Turns, and Dr. Stephen Barkely in All My Children. Bruce has his M.F.A. from the University of Mississippi and his B.S. in history from Corban College.

Josh Stenseth (Eddie) is a North Dakota native who studied theater, music, and improvisation in Minnesota before migrating to Portland. Josh is also a puppeteer, working with Tears of Joy Theatre, Comedy Sports, and The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia. He currently improvises on the Curious Comedy house team “Uncle Peanut.” This fall, Josh will return to the Broadway Rose stage in the role of Austin in I Love You Because (September 22 – October 16). Josh is excited to be making his Broadway Rose debut with Ripper.

Rebecca Teran (Kate Eddowes) returns to Broadway Rose with a vengeance! You may remember her last role as “Miz Streisand” and other various Broadway hacks in last season’s Forbidden Broadway. Other Portland credits include: Erica, Carnies: The Musical (Action/Adventure Theater); Genvieve, The Baker’s Wife (Lakewood Theatre); Colleen, Find Me Beside You (Many Hats Collaborations); Woman 2, Songs For A New World (STAGED!/Milagro Theater); Princess Areola, Wild Space A Go-Go (WildSpace Pro.); Silly Girl, Disney’s Beauty & the Beast (Pixie Dust Pro.); Prepared Fresh (Endless Summer Festival); and Lenore, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Broadway Rose Theater Co.). Favorite roles include Shelley in Bat Boy: The Musical and Little-Becky-Two-Shoes in Urinetown: The Musical. Rebecca earned her B.F.A. in musical theater from Shenandoah Conservatory.

Olivia Shimkus (Long Liz Stride) is thrilled to be making her Broadway Rose debut. She has performed locally in musical and dramatic productions for the Magenta Theater (Vancouver, WA), Portland Actors Ensemble, and the Portland Revels. Regional theater credits include children’s theater productions for the Bristol Riverside Theater and the Delaware Valley Community Theater, both in Pennsylvania. Local film and television credits include numerous short films and regional commercials. Olivia graduated from Indiana University with concentrations in vocal performance and theater.

Gary Norman (Sgt. Neill/Ensemble) is thrilled to return to the Broadway Rose stage, having last appeared in Chicago as the MC. He was seen most recently in Theatre Vertigo’s critically acclaimed production of The Adding Machine in the role of Mr. Zero. He was a member of Theatre Vertigo for seven years and appeared in many of their shows including The Long Christmas Ride Home, Romance, and Valparaiso. He has appeared on stages all over town, mostly in non-musicals like The Receptionst (COHO), Telethon (Portland Playhouse), and Hamlet (COHO). His love for musicals, however, has been there from the beginning. Favorite productions he has been in include La Cage Aux Folles, Cabaret, West Side Story, Mame, and Man of La Mancha, among others.

Jennifer Davies as Sarah Talbott
Rani Lightle as Annie
Megan Misslin as Polly
Holly Wigmore as Nelly

Ensemble:
Nathan Boese
Matt Brown
Jeremy Garfinkle
Sammuel Hawkins
Darren Hurley
Blake Isaac
Annie Kaiser
Chrissy Kelly-Pettit
David Smidebush
Timo Strahl
Brian Tennison

Wednesday, August 3, 7:30 PM PREVIEW
Thursday, August 4, 7:30 PM OPENING NIGHT
Friday, August 5, 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 6, 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 7, 2:00 PM

Thursday, August 11, 7:30 PM
Friday, August 12, 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 13, 2:00 PM
Saturday, August 13, 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 14, 2:00 PM

Thursday, August 18, 7:30 PM
Friday, August 19, 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 20, 2:00 PM
Saturday, August 20, 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 21, 2:00 PM

Created by Duane Nelsen
Directed by Abe Reybold
Musical Direction by Alan D. Lytle

Set & Lighting Design by Gene Dent
Costume Design by Shana Targosz
Prop Design by Deb Dahling
Sound Design by Dan Hallberg

Duane Nelsen (Author/Composer) is a Chicago-based playwright and composer and an alumni writer of the National Alliance for Musical Theater in NY, where Ripper was presented in 2009. Other shows include Dreamers, The Last Charade, Division Street and the new musical comedy Spa. He began his career as composer-in-residence at Off-Broadway’s Equity Library Theater, writing scores for The Comedy of Errors and Deathtrap. As a jingle writer for 15 years, he scored national television ads for the country’s top advertisers, including McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Disney, Pillsbury, Bose, and many others. He also writes concert music which has been performed by orchestras here and abroad. With his wife, Catherine Hug, he has two boys, Matthew and Colin. He is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild.

Read Duane’s thoughts on producing the world premiere of Ripper.