About the Artists

Cast

(in order of appearance)

BRYAN SONGY  |  George

Generously sponsored by LULU HUBBARD NEEDLEMAN
Bryan Songy is a Louisiana-born, New York-based, very hairy actor, baritone, director, writer, and teaching artist who is thrilled to return to Brief Cameo Productions, having played Tateh in their inaugural production of RAGTIME: IN CONCERT before the world turned. Off-Bway: CAMP MORNING WOOD; THEN SEAN MET KHALID. Nat’l Tour: A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Off-Off/NYC: RENT (The Secret Theatre); BOEING-BOEING (Brookes Stage Co.); MIDSUMMER…, THE TEMPEST, AS HE LIKES IT, A FIFTH DIMENSION (Sour Grapes Prods.); BASTARD BLOOD (Sybilline Prods); INTO THE WOODS, FEMALE TRANSPORT, THE SEAGULL (Circle in the Square Workshop). Regional: WAIT UNTIL DARK, SEUSSICAL, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AMERICA (ABRIDGED) (Fort Peck Summer Theatre); GENE KELLY’S LOST MUSICAL (Four Corners Musical Theatre); LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR (Kentucky Stages). Proud alum, LSU and Circle in the Square. He could use an agent and a drink, not necessarily in that order. Twitter/Instagram: @MisterSongy
Watch an interview with Bryan here!

ANDEE BUCCHERI  |  Dot/Marie

Andee Buccheri is so excited to be back with Brief Cameo Productions! Favorite Credits include Ivoryton Playhouse: Grease (Ensemble), A Chorus Line (Tricia/ Swing) and Biloxi Blues (Daisy). National Tour: Legally Blonde the Musical (Margot). As a standup comedian, Andee has performed at iconic New York venues such as the Stand, Broadway Comedy Club, and Caroline’s on Broadway. BFA NYU Tisch (New Studio on Broadway/ Stonestreet Studios).
Watch an interview with Andee here!

NICOLE RIGO  |  Old Lady/Blair Daniels

Nicole Rigo is an actor, singer, and immersive performer. Most recently, she performed in The Metamovie Presents: Alien Rescue, a live immersive and interactive experience in Virtual Reality, which won an award at Raindance Immersive Festival, received an honorable mention at Venice Film Festival, and was nominated for a Producer's Guild of America Innovation Award. Locally, you may have seen her in productions at Mystic Seaport Museum playing a wide range of characters, or in the Yale Opera ensembles of Eugene Onegin and Florencia en El Amazonas. She also has extensive experience working in children's theater. Recent film/TV: Alive: Streaming and Homicide for the Holidays. 

LISA WILLIAMSON  |  Nurse/Mrs./Elaine

Lisa Williamson has forged a diverse career in opera, musical theater, and concert throughout the world. Her roles include Sarah (Ragtime), Amalia Balash (She Loves Me), Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady), Eileen Sherwood (Wonderful Town), Laurie (The Tender Land), Bessie Coleman (Bessie and Ma) *world premiere, The Rose (The Little Prince), Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica), Cendrillon (Cendrillon), soprano (The Little Match Girl Passion), Musetta (La Boheme), Despina (Cosí fan tutte), Zerlina (Don Giovanni) and Adele (Die Fledermaus) with Washington National Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Portland Opera, Opera Theater of Connecticut, Salt Marsh Opera, Hartford Opera Theater, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and New Haven Symphony Orchestra, among others. She was the soloist with the United States Coast Guard Band from 2005-2010. She holds degrees from The Peabody Conservatory, Yale School of Music, and a doctorate from UConn. 

BRYAN QUINN  |  Franz/Dennis

Hailing from Watertown, Wisconsin, Bryan is pleased to be making his east coast debut with Brief Cameo Productions. He has appeared on Milwaukee stages as the Narrator in the world premiere of Liz Shipe’s The Incredible Adventure of Alvin Tatlock, Owen Fawcett in the world premiere of Angela Ianone’s The Seeds of Banquo, Stan Zbornak in Purse String Productions’ Golden Girls Drag Christmas Parody, and most recently as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata by Terrence McNally.

NIGEL SMITH  |  Jules/Bob Greenberg

Born in Montreal, Nigel has spent most of his professional life in France. After graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music, Nigel spent three years as an apprentice artist with the Centre de Formation Lyrique, at the Paris National Opera, where he performed on both the stages of the Bastille, and Palais Garnier. After completing his apprenticeship, Nigel represented Canada at the 2001 Cardiff Singer of the World, and continued working in many theatres in France, and in Europe. Performing principally on the operatic stage, Nigel has a wide repertoire, having performed extensively from the baroque, to contemporary music. He has been heard with Jean-Claude Malgoire, and the Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing, in works such as Rameau’s Les Indes galantes, Händel’s Agrippina, and Rinaldo, as well as in Salieri’s Falstaff. On the contemporary side of things, Nigel has created the roles of Lead, for James Rolfe’s Beatrice Chancy; which was produced both live, and for television; the role of Der auskunftgeber, for Philippe Manoury’s setting of Franz Kafka’s “Der Prozess”, entitled K…, at the Opéra National de Paris (Bastille), an encounter which inspired Manoury to write the role of un jeune fugitive, in his chamber opera La frontière for Nigel, which he created with Manoury, and famed actor and director Yoshi Oida, at Paris’ Les bouffes du nord. Nigel also premiered the oratorio Athanor, of Guillaume Connesson, at France Musique’s Festival Présences, as baritone soloist, and, most recently, was the baritone soloist for the world premiere of Joseph Barandashvili’s The Passion of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, with the Israel Camerata Jerusalem, under the baton of Avner Biron.

ANNE MAGUIRE  |  Yvonne/Naomi Eisen

Pacific Northwest native and 2020 George London winner, Anne Maguire, is distinguishing herself on stages across the country. Her voice is easily recognizable for its “dark”, “opulent”and "velvet" timbre, and she has been awarded several competition prizes from Opera Birmingham, Jensen Foundation, the Metropolitan National Council Auditions, and others. Ms. Maguire's roles performed include Baba the Turk in The Rake's Progress, Die Hexe in Hänsel und Gretel, Frau Mary in Der Fliegende Holländer, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. She has performed as a soloist with several symphonies, including her May 2019 debut with New Haven Symphony in Mahler's 3rd Symphony and her 2020 debut with Berkeley Community Orchestra as the alto in Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and Mozart's Coronation Mass. www.annemaguiremusic.com

JAMES JOSEPH CLARK*  |  Boatman/Charles Redmond

BCP Producer. So thrilled/excited/terrified that Alan asked him to return to the stage to revisit a role he performed in high school! Brief Cameo Productions: Ragtime in Concert (Director), Songs From The Elephant’s Trunk (Director).  NYC: Synapse Theatre Ensemble, Roebling and Driggs Productions, New York Financial Writers Association, FringeNYC. Regional: Ivoryton Playhouse (Resident Stage Manager), Yale Opera, Long Wharf Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Foote Summer Theatre, New Haven Theater Company, Grassroots Theater Company, Sacred Heart Academy, New Haven Ballet, Fairfield University, Chancel Opera Company.  Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association!
*Appears through the courtesy of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Watch an interview with Jim here!

SARAH EVANS KRONENBERG  |  Celeste #1

Sarah is excited to rejoin Brief Cameo! FILM: Jeannie and Mo (webseries - Team Awesome Robot); The Prophet of Truth (Brooklyn College). STAGE: Ragtime (Brief Cameo Productions); Dear Brutus (AlphaNYC); The Tragedies (Secret Theatre / New Voices); The Real Inspector Hound (AlphaNYC); Cranky Cabaret. Proud graduate, Circle in the Square Theatre School, Professional Musical Theatre Program: Into the Woods (Rapunzel) and Female Transport (Madge). Much love and thanks to her friends and family. www.sarahkronenberg.com

AMY BUCKLEY  |  Celeste #2/Harriet Pawling

AMY BUCKLEY is thrilled to once again perform with Brief Cameo Productions, having previously appeared in Ragtime: In Concert! On the musical theater stage credit highlights include: The Music Man (Marian Paroo), Mary Poppins (Mrs. Banks), Grease (Miss Lynch) and Man of La Mancha (Antonia). Notable operatic roles include: Die Fledermaus (Adele/Lincoln Center), Così fan Tutte (Despina /Pocket Opera of NY), Cendrillon (La Fée /Aspen Opera Theater) and Orfeo (Euridice /Wintergreen Performing Arts Festival). Ms. Buckley received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut, where her study afforded her the opportunity to train at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She then went on to receive a Master’s of Music from The Juilliard School. Ms. Buckley resides in Westbrook, Connecticut where she has a private voice studio and plays her favorite role of Mom to daughter Viviana. 

KAIYA COLQUHOUN  |  Louise

Kaiya Colquhoun is a senior at Valley Regional High School. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to be a part of Brief Cameo's production of Sunday in the Park With George!

CORY CANDELET  |  Louis/Billy Webster

Cory Candelet is so excited to be back on the stage at the playhouse to be part of this incredible production with some great friends! Cory is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC and grew up in Mystic, CT. Some of his favorite credits include Peter and The Starcatcher (Peter), Grease (Eugene), A Chorus Line (Don), and The Fantasticks (The Mute) for which he was awarded a CT Critics Circle Award - “Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical!” A big shoutout to his family and friends for their continuous support! @ccandelet

NATHAN RUSSO  |  Soldier/Alex

Nathan Russo is thrilled to work with Brief Cameo Productions once again! Past credits include Ragtime: In Concert (d. Jim Clark) with BCP, and Mamma Mia! (d. J. R. Bruno), Grease (d. Todd Underwood), and Oliver! (d. T. Rick Jones) with Ivoryton Playhouse. Nathan is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago and a longtime IPH staff member. He’d like to thank his parents, friends, and colleagues for their tireless support and guidance on his own journey to "finish the hat." 

MARISA MIRANDA  |  Frieda/Betty

Favorite past credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Barfee), HAIR (Dion), and Urinetown (Ensemble). Marisa is also a trained Theatrical Clown, and teacher, under the tutelage of Aitor Basauri, Chris Bayes, The Idiot Workshop, and the man himself, Philippe Gaulier.  When Marisa isn’t on stage making people laugh, she works as a Dresser for Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway!

JEREMY FUNKE  |  Mr./Lee Randolph

Jeremy Funke (Mr. / Lee Randolph) is pleased to join the Brief Cameo Productions team. Favorite roles in CT include: Officer Lockstock in Urinetown, Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and the title roles in Frost/Nixon, Henry IV, Macbeth, Titus Andronicus, and Hamlet. From 2007-2016 he was a company member (appearing in 14 productions) and served as the Resident Teaching Artist for New Haven’s Elm Shakespeare Company. Education: Harvard University (English and American Literature and Language). 

Production Team

ALAN PIOTROWICZ  |  Director, Projection Co-Designer

Alan makes his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he has designed for several companies including All In Productions, Cooperative Performance, Danceworks, Falls Patio Players, First Stage Children’s Theatre, In Tandem Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Sunstone Studios MKE, Theatre Gigante, Theater RED, Umbrella Group Milwaukee, and Windfall Theatre. Recent work also includes TITAN Theatre Company in New York City, Hope Summer Repertory Theatre in Holland, Michigan, and the Ivoryton Playhouse (The Porch on Windy Hill and Native Gardens). His directing credits include Some Enchanted Evening - The Songs of Rogers & Hammerstein (Falls Patio Players), Dead Man's Cell Phone (Pink Banana Theatre Co.), Rocket Man (Soulstice Theatre), The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs (The World's Stage Theatre Co.), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Village Playhouse), and The Lisbon Traviata (Sunstone Studios MKE). He received his training at UW-Madison and The Santa Fe Opera. Proud board member of Brief Cameo Productions. www.alanpiotrowicz.com
Watch an interview with Alan here!

JILL BRUNELLE  |  Musical Director, Keyboard

Jill Brunelle is a repertoire pianist at Yale University, working with Yale Opera, Yale School of Drama, the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and Yale College. Her recent music directing credits include The Fantasticks at Ivoryton Playhouse, and The Addams Family and Violet at Southern Connecticut State University. At Yale School of Drama Ms. Brunelle directed Steven Sondheim’s Passion, The Apple Tree, Trouble in Tahiti, and The Medium. As Yale Opera Chorus Master she has prepared ensembles for Eugene Onegin, Hänsel und Gretel, Die Zauberflöte, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Le Nozze Di Figaro and La Bohème. Ms. Brunelle recently celebrated five years as Music Director at the renowned Foote School Summer Theater. Her 2019-2020 season includes Fun Home at the Yale School of Drama, Ragtime with Brief Cameo Productions at the Ivoryton Playhouse, and the world premiere of the new opera Salt. Ms. Brunelle has served as faculty/staff at Boston University, New England Conservatory, Tufts University, Hartt School of Music, Connecticut Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and Opera Boston. As a collaborative pianist Ms. Brunelle is highly sought after as a recital partner, performing internationally as well as at Carnegie Hall and Jordan Hall, and has performed world premieres at numerous festivals, including the celebrated Bang on a Can festival in New York City. Ms. Brunelle also collaborates frequently with area companies and ensembles, including Orchestra New England and Long Wharf Theater.

KATHLEEN SANTOMASSO  |  Costume Designer

Generously sponsored by IVORYTON TAVERN

MARCUS ABBOTT  |  Lighting Designer

RAY SMITH  |  Sound Engineer

JASON "TIKI" TACKETT  |  Projection Co-Designer

Jason "Tiki" Tackett is a self-taught digital artist who has had their work featured in projects such as Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom, D23's celebration of Walt Disney World's 40th anniversary, the official Disney Parks Blog, the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, and the "Only in Queens" Summer Festival in New York. www.jasontikitackett.com

HOLLY PRICE  |  Stage Manager

ABBY CUNNINGHAM  |  Production Assistant

Abby Cunningham is excited to be joining Brief Cameo Productions as a production assistant for Sunday in the Park with George! Abby is from Deep River, CT, and is a Senior Theatre Performance and Social Sciences double major at Western Connecticut State University. WCSU credits include Season's Greetings (Assistant Director), Big Love (Lydia), Metamorphoses (Scientist/Sailor/Narrators), and Noises Off (Brooke U/S). Abby has also worked as assistant director/choreographer for Matilda at the Foote School Summer Theater Program.  

Musicians

PHILIP PLOTT  |  Reed 1

MICHAEL PAGLIONE  |  Reed 2

SHONDRA TEXEIRA  |  Horn

SELAH KWAK  |  Violin

Selah enjoys performing with others in many settings, with the quartet Andante Strings being among her favorites. She began playing violin at age 7 and soon after started studying at the Hartt School Community Division. She received her BA from Gettysburg College, where she double majored in Psychology and Music and a MM in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy at the University of Hartford. She is currently working towards her Graduate Professional Diploma at the University of Hartford. In her free time, Selah enjoys hiking, traveling, and being around her pets (one dog, three ducks, 12 chickens).

ARIEL PATKIN  |  Viola

Ariel Patkin is an enthusiastic teacher and active performer who enjoys sharing her life-long love of music with others. Beginning as a Suzuki violin student, she later discovered the charm of the viola and went on to perform on both instruments throughout the United States, Canada, and Italy. She performs regularly with area orchestras, and as a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago she had the honor of collaborating with several prominent musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.Ms. Patkin holds a Bachelor's Degree from The Hartt School of Music and a Master’s Degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. She is a registered Suzuki teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

HILLARY EKWALL  |  Cello

Hillary Ekwall is excited to join BCP on this show! She is no stranger to Ivoryton Playhouse having performed in Godspell (Gilmer) and West Side Story (Anybodys). She has played cello around the country including: NYC - various theatres, Goodspeed Opera House, Playhouse on Park, CBS Christmas Special, and America’s Got Talent. She is also an accomplished performer.  Select credits include: NATIONAL TOURS: Roundabout Theatre’s Cabaret (Rosie, cello/violin), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Boo/Bugsy Who), Ramona Quimby, Curious George. REGIONAL: North Shore Music Theatre's Grease (Patty Simcox), Cabaret (Fr. Kost), 25th…Spelling Bee (Schwarzy), Nunsense (Sr. Amnesia). Hillary is also a passionate educator teaching music, theatre, general edu and coaching gymnastics.  

DAVID UHL  |  Bass

David Uhl is one of the busiest freelance bassists in Connecticut. Before the pandemic you could find him playing in the pit for shows at the Ivoryton Playhouse, Norma Terris Theater, Yale Rep, and colleges and high schools across the state as well as with orchestras like the Greater Bridgeport Symphony and the Norwalk Symphony. He is also one of the founding members and the bassist for The Jolly Beggars, a Celtic folk band which plays extensively in and around Connecticut. David is also a passionate educator and has taught for eight years at The Regional Center for the Arts in Trumbull, as well as teaching privately.

MICHAEL BLANCANFLOR  |  Percussion

NICK STANFORD  |  Keys

After recently subbing on Smokey Joe's Cafe, Nick is thrilled to be back at Ivoryton Playhouse with Brief Cameo Productions to work on such a beautiful show. Other profession credits include subbing on Keys 2 for In the Heights (Playhouse on Park) and Altar Boyz (Seven Angels Theatre). Favorite MD credits include Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, The Producers, and Disaster!. Nick is the pianist for Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Society in Madison and resident music director for Connecticut Theatre Company in New Britain. He received his BA in Music from UConn studying piano under Irma Vallecillo and took graduate coursework at Indiana University. Thank you to my mom and Becky for always supporting me. 

Authors

STEPHEN SONDHEIM  |  Music and Lyrics

Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics for Saturday Night (1954), A Funny Think Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), Anyone Can Whistle (1964), Company (1970), Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), The Frogs (1974), Pacific Overtures (1976), Sweeney Todd (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987), Assassins (1991), Passion (1994) and Road Show (2008) as well as lyrics for West Side Story (1957), Gypsy (1959) and Do I Hear a Waltz? (1965) and additional lyrics for Candide (1973). Anthologies of his work include Side by Side by Sondheim (1976), Marry Me a Little (1981), You're Gonna Love Tomorrow (1983), Putting It Together (1993/99) and Sondheim on Sondheim (2010). He composed the scores of the films "Stavisky" (1974) and "Reds" (1981) and songs for "Dick Tracy" (1990) and the television production "Evening Primrose" (1966). His collected lyrics with attendant essays have been published in two volumes: "Finishing the Hat" (2010) and "Look, I Made A Hat" (2011). In 2010 Broadway's Henry Miller's Theatre was renamed The Stephen Sondheim Theatre in his honor; in 2019, London's Queens Theatre was also renamed the Sondheim.
Watch members of the BCP team discuss their relationship with Stephen Sondheim here!

JAMES LAPINE  |  Book

James Lapine is a playwright and director. On Broadway he has worked with Stephen Sondheim on Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Passion. He also conceived and directed the musical review Sondheim on Sondheim. With William Finn, he created Falsettos (recently revived by Lincoln Center Theater), Little Miss Sunshine, Muscle, and directed Finn's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Other Broadway credits include his play based on Moss Hart's memoir Act One (also LCT), Amour, The Diary of Anne Frank, Golden Child, and Dirty Blonde. He has written the plays Table Settings, Twelve Dreams, The Moment When, Fran's Bed, and Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. Lapine has been nominated for eleven Tony Awards, winning on three occasions. He has also been the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, SDC's Mr. Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater, and inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.

MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL  |  Licensing & Materials

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952 by composer Frank Loesser, and orchestrator Don Walker, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as a vibrant and engaging art form.
MTI works directly with the composers, lyricists and book writers of these musicals to provide official scripts, musical materials and dynamic theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 60 countries worldwide. MTI is particularly dedicated to educational theatre, and has created special collections to meet the needs of various types of performers and audiences. MTI’s Broadway Junior™ shows are 30- and 60-minute musicals for performance by elementary and middle school-aged performers, while MTI’s School Editions are musicals annotated for performance by high school students.
MTI maintains its global headquarters in New York City with additional offices in London (MTI Europe) and Melbourne (MTI Australasia). www.mtishows.com

Special Thanks