by Austin Winsberg • Music & Lyrics by Alan Zachary &Michael Weiner
directed byLinda Whitney
Musical
June 22-July 23, 2017
The State Theater
When blind date newbie Aaron is set up with serial-dater Casey, a casual drink at a busy New York restaurant turns into a hilarious high-stakes dinner. As the date unfolds in real time, the couple quickly finds that they are not alone on this unpredictable evening. In a delightful and unexpected twist, Casey and Aaron’s inner critics take on a life of their own when other restaurant patrons transform into supportive best friends, manipulative exes and protective parents who sing and dance them through ice-breakers, appetizers and potential conversational land mines. Can this couple turn what could be a dating disaster into something special before the check arrives?
Jeannie Beirne is the Resident Scenic Designer for Harlequin Productions. She has also enjoyed working with The Olympia Family Theatre, Saint Martin’s University, and South Puget Sound Community College. In Missouri, she has designed Urinetown and The Music Man with Missouri Western State University, and The Drowsy Chaperone, She Loves Me, and Damn Yankees for Tent Theater. In Arizona, Jeannie designed Mama and Jack Carew and the world premiere of Suocera by Hal Corley at the Theatre Artists Studio and Big Love with Kim Weild at Arizona State University.
Mark is a local lighting designer based in Tacoma and teaches technical theatre and design at Tacoma School of the Arts and occasionally at the University of Puget Sound, having spent most of the last 20 years as a lighting designer, production manager, and technical director; he also works with Zombie Orpheus Entertainment and much of his film work can be seen on The Fantasy Network. BA in Theatre Production from Bradley University.
A long time performer in the Pacific Northwest, Amy holds a BA in Performance from The Evergreen State College and a Master’s Degree in Applied Drama at The University of Exeter. Favorite roles include Charlotte in Charlotte’s Web (Olympia Family Theater), Maria in Twelfth Night or What You Will (Animal Fire Theater), The Mouse in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Olympia Family Theater and Nell Gwyn in Or, (Harlequin Productions). Amy would like to thank everyone on the production team for being such wonderful people to share this experience with. Thanks finally to her family, friends, Andy & Alex, and the Olympia community for the continued support of the arts.
Other favorite roles include Roger in Rent, Claude in Hair and Jamie in The Last Five Years. Bruce also works behind the curtain. He has designed and built sets for over 300 productions, including some here at Harlequin. He is very proud and honored to be a part of this beautiful and significant show.
Kyle is a 2010 graduate of WWU and a Seattle based actor and musician. You may have seen him recently around town as Wednesday in Pellegrino Noir. Or maybe up in Seattle at Jet City Improv’s A Tribe Called Yes. Other credits include Adam in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Brandon in Bordersongs, and Jamie in The Last Five Years.
Will is a graduate of Central Washington University’s acting program, as well as the 2016 cohort of the Intiman Emerging Artists Program. He has performed in numerous productions in and around the Seattle area, including Psycho Beach Party at Fantastic Z, The Fog Machine Play at Copious Love, and Wait Until Dark with Driftwood Players.
Eleise is an Olympia native who is happy to return to the beautiful PNW and make it her home again. While not on stage, Eleise is a Civic Education Tour guide at the Capitol building. While not acting or giving civics lessons to school kids, Eleise likes to find incredible food and quiet campfires wherever she can. As a proud member of the Harlequin board, she would like to thank everyone for supporting theater and your Olympia community.
Christie has been doing theater locally for many years, and after taking a brief break for Graduate school, she is excited to be back in the theater community. Favorite roles and performances include: Oklahoma! (5th Avenue Theatre), Nine, Musical of Musicals the Musical (Tacoma Musical Playhouse), Cathy in The Last 5 Years (Centralia Community College), Maureen in Rent, Jo in Little Women (Capital Playhouse), Ulla in The Producers, and Chrissy in Hair (UTEP Dinner Theatre). Christie played D1 volleyball at University of Texas at El Paso while receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Vocal Performance, then pursued a Masters of Arts in Education from Pacific Lutheran University. She currently teaches 8th grade Language Arts at Salish Middle School.
Evan is a recent transplant to Washington State, having moved to Olympia from Kentucky. Since his arrival, Evan has appeared in several productions around the region, including on the Evergreen Playhouse stage as Danny in Grease, George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, and Pa Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie. Olympia audiences may have also seen him in Olympia Little Theater’s production of Lion in Winter as Richard Lionheart. Back East, Evan has appeared on stages throughout the region in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Tennessee. He has also been seen in several music videos, independent films, and commercials. Favorite roles include Curly in Oklahoma!, Marius in Les Miserables, Harold Hill in The Music Man, and The Baker in Into the Woods. When he is not on stage, Evan is an avid board gamer, student of history, and outdoor enthusiast.
A Wisconsin native, Carolyn holds a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre at the University of Oklahoma. Local credits include: ThePajama Game (Carmen), The Sound of Music, Paint Your Wagon, Elf: The Musical, Oklahoma!, and Cinderella at The 5th Avenue Theatre; Peter Rabbit and Me (Peter), The Monster Under the Bed (Celine), and Cinder Edna (Edna) at Olympia Family Theater; The Secret Garden (Martha), Little Women (Meg), and Into the Woods (Baker’s Wife) at Capital Playhouse. Her choreography was seen most recently in the Olympia School District Player’s production of Annie. In addition to performing, Carolyn and her husband, Harrison, led a year-long children’s theater tour with Dakota Players targeted at rural communities in South Dakota and spent a summer in India working with Artists Striving to End Poverty.
David is a self-taught axeman who excels in a wide variety of styles and has been applying his craft in the Northwest music scene for over 35 years. He has played with funk groups Bump Kitchen, Sweatband, and Mother’s Friends; the improv jazz-rock group Jam Camp; and the swing group The Hot Five. Currently, he plays in the band Pontiac Alley, a diverse Americana outfit, and the 90’s tribute band Smelly Cat.
Rick has been an active bass player in the Puget Sound area since 1978. He has performed with the Tacoma Symphony, Olympia Symphony, Olympia Chamber Orchestra, Sweatband, Mood Swing, Size 3 and The Hot Five. His Harlequin credits include Tenderly, Man of La Mancha, First Date, Little Shop of Horrors, Pippin, Assassins, A Rock N’ Roll Twelfth Night, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dancin’ In The Streets, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Sixties Chicks, Sixties Kicks! and so many Stardust shows that he has lost count! Rick currently performs with the Jazz Senators, teaches private lessons and performs as a freelance bassist. Rick wishes to thank his wife Kay, and kids Nicole and Aaron for their continued support.
A native of Texas, the focus of Brent’s life and career has been on music. He was writing songs on his grandfather’s piano at the age of four. He has toured the country with bands playing fairs and opening for such acts as the Beach Boys, Shelly West, and Louise Mandrel. Brent was also active in the recording circuit, producing over 150 sessions in Dallas recording studios. In 1994, he was the bandleader for 12-year-old LeAnn Rimes and returned to work for her in 1998, performing in all her concerts and television appearances, including The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, the CMA Awards, and Good Morning America. Brent composed and recorded three pieces of music for and appeared in the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know”. He was nominated for an Emmy award in 2007 for a musical interview show he produced and hosted titled “Northwest Notes.”
