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Scott
Bray (Security Soldier/Novotny) grew up
in Los Angeles in the shadow of the motion picture industry. He studied
linguistics for 2 years at Cal State Fullerton before giving up on the
LA rat race and moving to Yosemite National Park to work for the
concession. Scott currently resides in San Francisco and is a member of
the Street School Artist Collective. |
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Earle
Carlson (Corporal Salda/Mr Balzar)
is a native of New Orleans, but is a longtime Bay Area resident who
moved here in 1989. Earle first became interested in acting during his
undergraduate study at UC Santa Barbara. Then, after an acting hiatus,
which involved travel to far-off places and completion of a Master of
International Affairs, Earle began a more professional and rigorous
theatre training at Studio ACT in San Francisco. This is Earle’s first
performance with Actors Ensemble, and he hopes to contribute to many
more performances in the future. |
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Gary
Dailey (Josef/Comrade Bacilek)
is making his first appearance with Actors Ensemble in two roles. Gary’s
debut role in the Bay Area was as Mr. Bardolph in the Ross Valley Player’s
production of Lettice and Lovage. He has appeared in Equity stock
productions including George M with Joel Grey, Unsinkable
Molly Brown with Carol Lawrence, and Hello Dolly! with Ann
Miller and, later, with Betty Grable. Gary sang for a season with the
Lincoln Opera, in Chicago, appearing in their productions of Carmen,
Die Fledermaus, and The Barber of Seville. In the Chicago
area he also appeared in the DuPage Opera Theatre’s production of Madame
Butterfly as the Imperial Commissioner. Gary has studied in Chicago,
New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. |
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Monica
Garcia (Security Soldier/Colonel Bradacova)
was born in Los Angeles, raised in El Paso, moved to San Diego, and
finally came to Northern California for school. She graduated from UC
Berkeley in 1998. During her childhood she performed in plays, danced,
and sang with the school choir. Recently she performed in He Came
Seeing as the mother of a blind boy. Monica especially likes
improvisation where she gets to be as creative as her characters. |
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Will
Green (Sergeant Javorsky)
has been on stage with the San Jose Cleveland Ballet in Romeo and
Juliet. He adored his multiple roles in the musical Kismet in
San Francisco, and this is the second time he has performed at the Live
Oak Theatre. He is on summer break from teaching elementary school kids,
which he says, “are quite a discriminating audience in their own
right.” This fall he plans on beginning to learn that grand
instrument, the piano. Hello friends, welcome. |
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Bradford
Guthrie (General Zandek)
has appeared in two previous Actors Ensemble productions, Inherit the
Wind and Road to Mecca. He enjoys being the General because
it gives him the opportunity to be the Big Cheese. |
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Andy
Hilal (Karel Cerny) Lives
in Berkeley, works for Epinions, and writes maniahill.com. This is his
first theatrical performance since playing Anna’s knicker-bockered son
in The King and I at age 11. |
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Dan
Kurtz (Pavlat) has appeared
in Antony and Cleopatra at UC Berkeley, The Tempest with
the No Holds Bard company, Twelfth Night, The Threepenny Opera
and Dinner at Eight at the San Francisco School of the Arts, Beast
on the Moon with Eureka Theater, and The Graft with Barestage
Productions, who also performed his short play The Cycle. He is a
fourth-year student at UC Berkeley, where he studies Cognitive Science. |
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Irina
Mikhalevich (Sophie Cerny)
began her theatrical escapades as Sophia Zobritzkyin her high school
production of Neil Simon’s Fools, way back in the day. It is
only fitting that she should find herself filling the role of yet
another Sophie in her Actors Ensemble debut. She is thrilled to be here
and hopes here to remain. |
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Renee
Miller (Vlasta Habova) is
pleased to join Actors Ensemble for the first time in The Great
Sebastians. She holds a BA in theatre from Goshen College and has
studied at Sichuan Normal University, Actors Theatre of Louisville, ACT,
and Bay Area Theatresports. Past roles include Adriana in A Comedy of
Errors, Rachel in Reckless, and Bess in the premiere of Hearts
and Flowers. |
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Julie
Ponsford (Manya/Marie Balzar)
has been singing, dancing, and acting since preschool. Her earliest
memories onstage involve costumes such as a blue satin tutu and fairy
godmother wand ensemble, and her first memory of director’s notes was
the order not to shake her hips around so much during her solo. Her
favorite roles include Rabbit in Winnie the Pooh, Melody in Psalty
II, and Ranger Jones in The Yogi Bear Show at Paramount’s
Great America. Most recently, she pouted through the role of Suzanne in
an award-winning production of Don’t Dress for Dinner at
Chanticleers Theatre in San Leandro. Not long before that, she danced
and sang through 105 shows in a yearlong tour with the international
organization Up With People and their musical ROADS. One of
Oakland’s newest residents, Julie is excited to be a part of the cast
tonight. She thanks her fellow cast members “without hesitation!”
for the fun it’s been, and her family for always being here. |
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Trish
Tillman (Essie Sebastian)
is an actor and teacher who has just completed her Masters degree in
theater in New York. Favorite roles include Puck in A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Vanya in The Cherry Orchard, and the primatologist
Dian Fossey in a one-woman show, The Moon The Way It Shines Up Here.
Trish teaches improvisation and acting at the Academy of Art in San
Francisco and is on the teaching staff at New Conservatory Theater and
Marin Theater Company. You may have heard her voice on CD-ROM games like
“Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego”. After years of
children’s theater, she could also be one of the few who has
successfully portrayed both a human lung and Queen Elizabeth (but not in
the same show, alas). Thanks to DMG. |
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Dan
Wilson (Rudi Sebastian) is
appearing in his first production with Actors Ensemble. He has most
recently been seen as Prince Rickard in CAFE’s Mapping the Box,
as the yogurt schlepping Clancey in Runs with Scissors at The
Marsh, and as the dashing Giorgio in Staged Hereafter’s Reverse
Thunder. Dan has also appeared in Vallejo, Fremont, and Theatre
Yugen in San Francisco. He is the author of the comedy In a Distant
Country and directed Twelfth Night for the San Leandro
Shakespeare Festival. Dan is delighted to get to act like a raging diva
without alienating everyone around him. |
